Lady Gaga Dishes on Life After an Eating Disorder

Lady Gaga took to her Instagram account last week, posting a picture of herself in little more than a fur coat. The 28-year-old singer captioned the black-and-white pic, “Curvy and Proud.” Over the years, Gaga has encouraged her fans to be authentic and embrace their own uniqueness. The “Born This Way” singer might ooze with confidence today, but Gaga struggled with an eating disorder in the past.

For more than ten years, Lady Gaga kept her bulimia under wraps. She would undertake two-hour workouts multiple times throughout the day, attempting to prevent even the slightest weight gain. She also deprived her body of the food and nutrients it craved, damaging her overall health in ways she never intended.

Body Shaming

I am better with food. I don’t have an eating disorder anymore. I’m also better at not letting people take advantage of me.-Lady Gaga

Celebrities are easy targets for body shaming and Lady Gaga is no exception. Over the last year, multiple media outlets pointed out that she has put on a bit of weight. Unflattering pictures of Gaga have been published, many captioned with commentary about her stomach looking “flabby.”

Despite all the criticism of her weight and body, Gaga has refused to let anyone make her self-conscious. In a blog post on her website, the singer wrote: ”I am better with food. I don’t have an eating disorder anymore. I’m also better at not letting people take advantage of me.”

Performance Controversy

Though she’s openly talked about her battle with bulimia, Lady Gaga opened herself up to some serious criticism following a performance at the SXSW festival earlier this year. While performing her hit song “Swine” on March 13, a performance artist dumped buckets of fake vomit on Gaga’s body. Many people felt that Gaga was glamorizing eating disorders.

While some celebrities opted to keep quiet, actress/singer Demi Lovato called Gaga out on Twitter. “Sad. @ladygaga you’re SO talented, if not one of the most talented in our industry PERIOD. But you don’t have to do that,” she wrote.

People emulate what they see celebrities do…bulimia isn’t cool, and it won’t get you on stage with your favorite artist.-Demi Lovato
Lovato went on to explain why she found the vomit stunt upsetting. “People emulate what they see celebrities do or let happen. That’s why I had to say something.. to let the people who don’t understand the art in it, that bulimia isn’t cool, and it won’t get you on stage with your favorite artist,” she wrote on Twitter.

In response to Lovato’s criticism, Lady Gaga told E! News that her SXSW performance “had absolutely nothing to do with any eating disorder, and we never intended for it to be taken that way.”

Celebrities Battling Bulimia

Many Hollywood stars have battled bulimia at some point in their lives. Those include:

• Paula Abdul
• Kate Winslet
• Portia de Rossi
• Jane Fonda
• Joan Rivers

Related: Nicole Scherzinger Opens Up About Her Eating Disorder