In a world where body shaming sadly still exists, there are some people who don't mind calling out the naysayers. Kesha is one who doesn't shy away from putting the body shamers in their rightful place. She's been pretty vocal throughout her career about dealing with an eating disorder and online bullying from people who had nothing nice to say. In an Instagram post made on July 7, 2024, the 37-year-old singer-songwriter shared a candid message.
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Here's what she had to say.
"i didn’t think in 2024 people still body shamed but. i am so proud of my body. she’s been through a lot. she’s torn her acl on stage and finished the show. she’s held my [expletive] broken heart together," the post read. "to those who think you’re shaming me, you’re actually making me feel very powerful. so, to you, i hope you one day feel whole enough to not tear other women down. in the mean time, hate me harder [expletive]:) ."
Her fans backed up her message.
"Be proud. You’re beautiful. The people hating are the ones hiding behind and anonymous photo and living in a basement while you’re out here thriving. ♥️," one person wrote.
"I can only hope to learn to love my body the way you love yours. You're such a beautiful person: body, mind, and soul. ❤," another fan shared.
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She previously opened up about struggling with eating disorders.
In 2017, the singer posted about dealing with eating disorders. “I had an eating disorder that threatened my life, and was very afraid to confront it," she confessed. "I got sicker and the whole world kept telling me how much better I looked. That’s why I realized I wanted to be a part of the solution.”
She talked about the 'vicious cycle' in a Teen Vogue piece.
In an essay for Teen Vogue around the same time, Kesha called online bullying and anxiety and depression that contributed to her eating disorder a "vicious cycle."
“When I compared myself to others, I would read more mean comments, which only fed my anxiety and depression," she wrote at the time. "Seeing paparazzi photos of myself and the accompanying catty commentary fueled my eating disorder. The sick irony was that when I was at some of the lowest points in my life, I kept hearing how much better I looked. I knew I was destroying my body with my eating disorder, but the message I was getting was that I was doing great.”
Kesha says online shaming is far worse than what she dealt with as a child.
“When I think about the kind of bullying I dealt with as a child and teen, it seems almost quaint compared with what goes on today,” she wrote. “The amount of body shaming and baseless slut-shaming online makes me sick. I know from personal experience how comments can mess up somebody’s self-confidence and sense of self-worth. I have felt so unlovable after reading cruel words written by strangers who don’t know a thing about me.”
Thankfully, she's grown into a better headspace.
“In the past couple of years I’ve grown up a lot. I’ve realized that once you take the step to help yourself, you’re going to be so happy you did,” she wrote in the essay. “Taking the time to work on yourself requires bravery. Trying to change your life based on other people’s thoughts can drive you crazy. You have to figure out what makes you feel good and what keeps you in a positive headspace.”
