Glamour’s review of Stay Strong truly deserves an A+ 

I don’t know exactly what I was expecting when I tuned into Demi Lovato’s Stay Strong special on MTV last night but it made me into a sobbing mess. The young Hollywood star, who sought treatment for emotional issues in 2010, opened up about what led to her stay in a rehab facility as well as the day-to-day difficulties she faces as a woman suffering from depression and intense body image issues.

The “Skyscraper” singer bravely shared her difficult journey in the hour-long documentary. The level of candidness is not one I’ve seen before from anyone famous. Here is this beautiful, talented, smart young woman talking about how she started suffering from body issues when she was 7. 7!?!When she should have been careless and free and playing with her American Girl Dolls, instead she was “looking in the mirror and never feeling good enough. I felt like I was living a lie… I was dealing with all this pain, emotionally. And I felt guilt and shame. I decided to take it out on myself. I harmed myself.”

Her issues with bulimia transitioned into cutting and, while being treated for both, Demi was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Over and over during the special she showed her wrists which are now tattooed with the words “Stay Stong.” She talked about getting the tats to cover her cutting scars and serve as a reminder of the harm she inflicted upon herself. “An addiction is an obsession, something that takes over your mind and your every thought,” Demi said. “You think that you can’t live without it. For me, it was not eating and purging and self-harming.”

I think the most eye-opening part of the special for me was how there isn’t a happy Hollywood ending. You can see that Demi struggles with these issues every day—and she said so much. Some of her comments: “It takes constant fixing.” “Recovery doesn’t have a day off.” “I don’t think there is a finish line.” And there was footage from her first Thanksgiving post-recovery and you can see she has serious demons with food. Every single day of her life.

“I cannot tell you that I have not thrown up since treatment,” she bravely admitted. “I cannot tell you that I have not cut myself since treatment. I’m not perfect.”

Also tugging at my heartstrings were all the young Demi fans who were interviewed for the special. They have so many of their own challenges and look to Demi as someone who knows their pain. I cried over and over as all these really young girls hinted at their own similar experiences. All the pain and sadness in people breaks my heart.

Demi noted that she’s gotten candid about her personal struggles for her fans and they’ve really helped carry her through, saying; “Every time someone asks me for a picture or an autograph, even if I’m having a bad day and I’m in a bad mood, I remember, ‘You’re nothing without this person. They make it special.”

After watching Stay Strong, I look at Demi in a whole new way. I have so much respect for her. She was so honest. And I wish her strength on this long, difficult journey she has ahead.

http://www.glamour.com/entertainment/blogs/obsessed/2012/03/yeah-so-i-cried-my-way-through.html

effyesdemetrialovato:

demi trollvato.

"I don’t think I’m fixed. People think you’re like a car in a body shop: you go in, they fix you, and you’re out; and you work like you’re brand new. It doesn’t work like that. It takes constant fixing, and one of the hardest things was learning that I’m worth recovery."  - Demi Lovato