American singer Demi Lovato has offered a little more explanation after slamming a Los Angeles frozen yoghurt shop, The Bigg Chill, for offering diet options.
Lovato took to Instagram this week to share more about the situation. She initially went public with her frustrations with the store after her visit to the shop over the weekend, saying the sugar-free and diet foods offered were “triggering” for her, as someone who had overcome an eating disorder.
“You have to walk past tons of sugar-free cookies/other diet foods before you get to the counter. Do better please,” wrote Lovato on Instagram.
She also used the hashtag #DietCultureVultures with her story.
The yoghurt shop replied to Lovato on social media. It said it was not “diet vultures”; it had been catering to all its customers’ needs for the past 36 years.
“We carry items for diabetics, celiac disease, vegan and, of course, many indulgent items as well,” it wrote.
CALL OUT: Demi Lovato calls out Yogurt shop for sugar free foods. Demi says “Finding it extremely hard to order froyo from The Big Chill when you have to walk past tons of sugar free cookies/other diet foods.” Shop says they carry food for diabetics, celiac disease and vegan. pic.twitter.com/IKDOcBDVro
— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) April 18, 2021
In her video this week, Lovato said she “jumped to conclusions” and didn't intend to use her celebrity status to bully a small business, as some critics have claimed.
“I am very outspoken about the things I believe in. I understand that sometimes my messaging can lose its meaning when I get emotional. I’ve lived through enough to know when to speak up for people who don't have a voice.
“When I messaged this froyo place, originally, I wanted to make a point, and I wanted to call out behaviors or branding, things that didn't sit right with me. The truth of the matter is, as someone who is in recovery from an eating disorder, I still, to this day, have a hard time walking into a froyo shop, ordering yoghurt.”
She said it wasn’t initially clear to her that The Bigg Chills’ offerings were for specific health needs, and she probably shouldn't have gone about it the way she had.
“I’m protective of the little girl inside of me that didn’t get that representation at a young age of someone saying, all of this diet stuff at a young age is not okay. You’re worth more than that. I walked into a situation that didn't sit right for me. My intuition said, speak up, so I did.”