Demi Lovato was one of the most vocal critics of Lady Gaga and her decision to use vomiting-performance artist Millie Brown during a show at the SXSW Festival last Thursday, but now she is focused on returning to her own tour.
The 21-year-old has been very outspoken about her personal struggles with bulimia and did not find any humor in Gaga’s overly explicit show, taking to Twitter to criticize the “Applause” singer.
Without naming names, Demi made her point very clear in a series of tweets:
Sad… As if we didn’t have enough people glamorizing eat disorders already. Bottom line, it’s not “cool” or “artsy” at all.
— demetria lovato (@ddlovato) March 14, 2014
Would you let someone bring a needle and shoot up on you? Addiction is addiction.
— demetria lovato (@ddlovato) March 14, 2014
Now, Lady Gaga has also suffered from bulimia and spoken about it publicly. In Lovato’s case, she was in rehab for a couple of years after hitting rock bottom.
But Millie Brown — who has been doing her vomit “art” since she was 17-years-old — is certainly controversial, although the artist defends it saying that it’s something completely different when one feels actually sick.
Brown drinks soy milk mixed with green food coloring and makes herself throw up — on top of Gaga, in this case.
PURE ART @Millie_Brown @ladygaga I LOVED IT pic.twitter.com/THqTx4odjM
— Jake† | Lady Gaga (@hausofjakee) March 14, 2014
In preparation for performances such as the one that Demi Lovato found so disturbing, Brown says she prepares by not eating for two days to preserve the purity of the paint. However, she only “performs” once a month. She told Elle :
“It feels completely different from when you’re ill. It feels quite good in a way, because it’s like you’re cleaning your body out. It’s kind of a cleanse.”
Demi Lovato, who suffers not only from bulimia, but other emotional disorders, got some hate on Twitter for her strong stance, but defended her position:
Putting the word ART in it isn’t a free card to do whatever you want without consequences. RT… http://t.co/M9mjtOD5Sa
— demetria lovato (@ddlovato) March 14, 2014
Responding to Demi’s comments, Brown said:
“I can understand why people would make that association, but my performance really is not a statement about eating disorders themselves. It’s like using my body to express myself. I think a lot of people understand that I’m not trying to punish myself and my body in that way.”
According to WebMD, bulimia affects mostly young women — the group that follows these artists — and can cause serious health problems:
“Frequent self-induced vomiting also depletes the water and potassium in bodily tissues, causing abnormal heart rhythms, seizures, muscle spasms, and even paralysis.”
Demi Lovato has been a big advocate of emotional issues for the benefit of her young fans who are very impressionable, look up to their favorite artists, and in many instances emulate them.
[Image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com ]