Demi Lovato has been criticized by social media users after publicly hitting out at a frozen yogurt shop in Los Angeles over its “harmful messaging.”
After getting slammed by thousands of people, including Piers Morgan, Demi Lovato has decided to share a lengthy apology via a video posted on Instagram.
Demi Lovato confessed that she should have handled the matter differently, especially after discovering that she misunderstood the labels at the yogurt store.
Demi Lovato spoke about her battle with an eating disorder. She explained that she was not aware that the yogurt shop had the labels because they “carry items for Diabetics, Celiac disease, Vegan and of course have many indulgent items as well.”
She confessed: “Because it wasn’t clear, I definitely jumped to conclusions and probably shouldn’t have gone about this the way that I have. I’m willing to talk to this froyo shop to help get this messaging right… I’m human, and I talk about my struggles. I’m passionate, so I’m sorry that I got the messaging wrong. I’m sorry that I may have disappointed some people.”
Last night, the singer went on an epic rant and called out the advertising methods and layout of the shop “triggering.”
The 28-year-old pop star accused them of perpetuating the society that “enables and praises disordered eating,” referring to the line of sugar-free, vegan, and gluten-free options at The Bigg Chill on Olympic Boulevard.
Demi Lovato, who has opened up in recent years about her struggles with mental health and eating disorders, said that she finds it “extremely hard” to order frozen yogurt from the company when there are so many sugar-free and “other diet foods” on display before you even reach the counter.
Her post drew a response from The Bigg Chill, who sent Lovato private messages saying they were “not diet vultures” and have catered for customers’ needs for the last 36 years.
The business is run by Diane Dinow and her daughter, Cary Russell, who revealed several years ago that their shop attracted as many as 1300 customers per day.
Demi Lovato shared a screenshot of their message to her, as well as her own response by direct message.
She accused the company of “terrible service” and said they were “so rude,” describing her entire experience at the shop as “triggering and awful.”
Twitter users quickly responded to the posts, with some branding it as a “stupid take” on an issue which they did not deem to be worthy of so much attention and saying that The Bigg Chill was the best-frozen yogurt spot in LA.
While others praised Lovato for calling them out, some commented that sugar-free options are essential for diabetics.
Lovato suggested to the store that they make it more clear who these options are designed for, rather than fuelling the diet culture industry.
The Dancing With the Devil singer said there are ways of catering to all needs and using clearer messaging which would benefit everyone.
