Warning: the following story contains discussions of eating disorders.
Kesha has a simple message for anyone out there who has something to say about her physique: go ahead and hate, it only makes her stronger. The singer who has been candid about her struggles with body image and recovery from an eating disorder appeared to respond to some unkind comments about her body on Sunday (July 7) in a pointed Instagram post.
“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 f–king broken heart together,” Kesha, 37, wrote in the post that also featured an image of the singer laying on the beach in a black string bikini as well as modeling it while standing on a balcony while wearing a black baseball hat and white robe.
“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 bi–ch:),” she added, along with a muscle flex emoji.
Back in 2017, Kesha posted about her struggle with eating disorders, writing, “I had an eating disorder that threatened my life, and was very afraid to confront it. 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.” In addition, at the 2016 Billboard Women in Music event, Kesha discussed her past struggles with self-image. “I’ve decided to stay confident in my ever-changing, totally imperfect body,” she said at the time.
Around the same time, Kesha opened up in an essay in Teen Vogue, writing, “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. 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.”
She added, “It became a vicious cycle: When I compared myself to others, I would read more mean comments, which only fed my anxiety and depression. 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.”
More recently, the singer who just released her new single, “Joyride,” last week, told Self in 2023 that she after checking into an inpatient program to treat bulimia in 2014 she started working with therapists on a new routine to help manager her anxiety around eating.
According to organizers of NEDAwareness Week, some 30 million Americans will struggle at some point in their lives with an eating disorder, such as bulimia, binge-eating disorder and anorexia. For more information visit nedawareness.org.
See Kesha’s post below.
