Since coming out as their authentic self late this spring, Demi Lovato has been reaching new milestones of self-acceptance.
Body image can be a pendulous thing, as it has been for Demi for many years.
They recently filmed their very first sex scene in their lifelong acting career.
Demi received such a confidence boost that they even shared a snap with fans.
“Had to film a sex scene today,” Demi wrote on their Instagram account on Tuesday, July 20.
“My first one!” they added, featuring the image seen below.
It turns out that growing up as a Disney star doesn’t lend itself to those work experiences. That’s for the best.
“I had a little anxiety going into it,” Demi of course acknowledged.
“But,” they added, “the cast and crew were so professional and easy to work with.”
Reflecting upon that experience, Demi commented that “it calmed me down immediately.”
“Then, I thought about how proud I am,” Demi expressed.
They were filled with pride “for being able to feel comfortable enough in my skin to do that.”
Even with the most nurturing, professional environment, not everyone can do that.
“I rarely ever showed my arms before …” Demi pointed out.
They added that, in contrast, “now I’m in this!!”
Demi of course included a disclaimer: “(Granted, it barely shows anything BUT STILL)”
“I don’t always feel good in my skin,” Demi grimly acknowledged.
“So when I do, AND I feel sexy enough to post – I do just that!” they explained.
Spending too much time overthinking can hold you back just as much as running on pure impulse can mess you up.
“It’s important to celebrate the little wins,” Demi recognized.
“Yay for this random burst of body confidence,” they celebrated.
“And yay,” Demi added, “for awkward hilarious sex.”
Struggles with body image can take many forms, and are not always centered upon weight.
But body shape and size can play a colossal and at times catastrophic role in someone’s sense of personal self-worth.
Demi is all too aware of that, having experienced these ups and downs throughout their life.
Demi just come out as nonbinary a couple of months ago.
This is extremely courageous for anyone in our deeply transphobic world.
It took additional measures of strength for Demi, a world-famous celebrity, to come out, knowing that their visibility guarantees backlash.
Demi did not directly address how their newly public understanding of their gender factors into this.
However, given the intricate ways in which dysphoria can impact body image, gender can play a huge role in feeling comfortable in one’s skin.
If this was a factor for Demi, they would certainly not be the first nonbinary person to realize that they’re much more comfortable just existing after coming out.
On the other side of things, a factor in Demi’s past body image issues has always been public viewing and comments.
For years, they worried that they could never fit this picture-perfect image of femininity, either physically or behaviorally.
We are so happy for Demi that they’re no longer trying to do that — and that they’re feeling well-deserved confidence.