Demi Lovato has apologized after calling a fro-yo shop "diet culture vultures" for selling sugar-free options to the public.
Taking to Instagram, the singer admitted she had "definitely jumped to conclusions" when reacting so strongly.
"When I messaged this fro-yo place, like originally, I wanted to make a point and I wanted to call out behaviors or branding things that didn't sit right with me," she said in a video. "The truth of the matter is that as someone that ... is in recovery from an eating disorder, I still to this day have a hard time walking into a fro-yo shop, ordering yogurt, and being content with it and keeping it down."
The ordeal began on Monday when Lovato slammed the fro-yo shop, The Bigg Chill, on social media.
"Finding it extremely hard to order froyo from @thebiggchillofficial when you have to walk past tons of sugar free cookies/ other diet foods before you get to the counter. Do better please,” she wrote in her Instagram story.
She added the hashtag "#dietculturevultures” in the post.
In response to Lovato's criticism, the company argued in their own Instagram story that many of their treats were intended for people with various dietary and health needs, including those with diabetes, celiac disease as well as vegans.
The Bigg Chill also sent Lovato a private message defending itself. Lovato shared a screenshot of the conversation, which was revealed by Today.
"We are not diet vultures. We cater to all of our customers (sic) needs for the past 36 years. We are sorry you found this offensive,” the message read.
Lovato replied by accusing the company of "terrible" service.
"The whole experience was triggering and awful. You can carry things for other people while also caring for another percentage of your customers who struggle DAILY just to even step foot in your store. You can find a way to provide an inviting environment for all people with different needs. Including eating disorders -- one of the deadliest mental illnesses only second to (opioid) overdoses. Don’t make excuses, just do better," she wrote.
Lovato then suggested that The Bigg Chill be more clear about labeling its products.
"I was thinking, maybe it would help if you made it more clear that the sugar free options and vegan options are for that," she added. "Labeling the snacks for celiac or diabetes or vegans. When it’s not super clear, the messaging gets confusing and being in LA it’s really hard to distinguish diet culture vs health needs.”
In her apology video, Lovato explained that she grew distressed when she walked into the store that offered "so much diet stuff and health food stuff."
"If there was a sign that said celiac or vegan, I would've understood," she said. "Because it wasn't clear, I definitely jumped to conclusions. I probably shouldn't have gone about this the way that I have. I'm willing to talk to this fro-yo shop to help get the messaging right."
Lovato added that she was sorry for getting "the messaging wrong" and for disappointing "some people." She said her intuition led her to speak up.
"It's really important that everyone hears that my intentions were not to come in and bully a small business," she added. "I walked in and was so triggered that I left without fro-yo and it made me really sad. And that's all it was."
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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