The glittery and glamourous face of Hollywood divas often hides their darkest struggles and hardest struggles, a reality highlighted during National Eating Disorder Awareness Month.
Female artists often face intense pressure to maintain a certain physique and appearance in order to meet specific beauty standards, leading them to suffer from eating disorders.
Such disorders are behavioural conditions that affects you physical, and psychologically
These types of eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).
So, let's shed light on the stars who struggle with such disorder, including actresses to singers:
1. Taylor Swift
Swift has anorexia nervosa, a disorder in which people try to keep their weight as low as possible.
In her Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, back in 2020, the Opalite singer revealed that she struggled with the specific eating disorder earlier in her career.
Seeing a picture of herself, the 36-year-old singer said in the documentary, “Where I feel like … my tummy was too big or… someone said that I looked pregnant… that’ll just trigger me to just starve myself a little bit — just stop eating.”
She continued, “If you’re thin enough, then you don’t have that ass that everybody wants, but if you have enough weight on you to have an ass, your stomach isn’t flat enough. It’s all just f—ing impossible.
“I thought that I was supposed to feel like I was going to pass out at the end of a show, or in the middle of it.
“Now I realize, no, if you eat food, have energy, get stronger, you can do all these shows and not feel [exhausted].”
2. Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga suffers from fibromyalgia, an eating disorder, defined by musculoskeletal pain, extreme fatigue, and sleep disturbances.
In an interview back in 2012, the Bad Romance hitmaker revealed that she had struggled with eating disorders in high school, saying, “I used to throw up all the time in high school.”
Gaga also noted that she also struggled with anorexia, and both conditions had affected her since age 15, according to PEOPLE.
However, in a 2014 Harpers Bazaar interview, the Bloody Mary songstress said she no longer deals with the eating disorders, saying, “I am better with food,” she said. “I don’t have an eating disorder anymore.”
3. Hilary Duff
She suffered from body dysmorphia!
In a 2015 issue of Health, the former Disney star remembered losing a lot of weight at age 17 as she recalled, “I was totally obsessed with everything I put in my mouth. I was way too skinny. Not cute.
Another outlet, Duff shared, “And my body wasn’t that healthy — my hands would cramp up a lot because I wasn’t getting the nutrition I needed.”
According to Duff, she’s now proud of her body and strength.
4. Lily Collins
Collins struggled has struggled with an eating disorder that involved restricting food intake, binging, and taking laxative and diet pills.
In 2017, the Emily in Paris star revealed that she hid her struggle from her family, but finally decided to talk to them and seek help.
However, Collins revealed that her focus later became redefining her body image.
5. Ariana Grande
Grande has been open about her struggles with mental health and how it affects her eating habits.
The singer-actress once stated that her thinner appearance was actually her "unhealthiest version" due to antidepressants, poor eating, and stress.
The Wicked actress shared that she's linked her weight loss to ongoing battles with PTSD, anxiety, grief, and societal pressures.
Grande now prioritises therapy and music as emotional outlets.
