Throwback: When Taylor Swift Opened Up About Her Battle With Eating Disorder

Back in 2020, Taylor Swift opened up about her fame, battle with eating disorder, mental health, and her journey to self-acceptance in her Miss Americana documentary.

By Shruti Kotiya

Published on Aug 25, 2024 | 04:45 AM IST | 108.3K

Photo Credits: Instagram/Taylor Swift

Pop sensation Taylor Swift has always been the talk of the town, be it for her surprise releases, jet usage, or net worth. But, every now and then, she comes under the radar for her appearance.

Back in 2020, her documentary, Miss Americana, featured a montage of derogatory comments about her on multiple talk shows over the years. One of these remarks also included, “She’s too skinny. It bothers me.” As expected, it bothered Swift too.

In one of the segments in the film, the singer talked about her struggle with an eating disorder. In a voiceover during a scene, she is heard saying that it was not good for her to see pictures of herself every day. While she does mention that it had happened a few times, she was not proud of it. She also admitted to being triggered to stop eating when she felt her “tummy was too big,” or someone said she looked “pregnant.”

In an interview with Variety, the pop star further elaborated on what she went through and how difficult it was for her to talk about it in the documentary. She was not sure she would feel comfortable talking about body image and her relationship with food over the years.

She then praised her director, Lana Wilson, stating, “But the way that Lana (Wilson, the film’s director) tells the story, it makes sense. My relationship with food was the same psychology that I applied to everything else: If I was given a pat on the head, I registered that as good. If I was given a punishment, I would register that as bad.”

Swift recalled being 18 and coming across a magazine cover with the headline, "Pregnant at 18?" It was all because she had worn something that made her lower stomach appear bumpy. She also talked about how getting praised for fitting into unaltered sample sizes at photoshoots felt good.

Filmmaker Lana Wilson also pointed out how most people did not think Swift was too skinny at the start of her career. She talked about how humans can choose to ignore that about women but are accustomed to doing so. She then praised the singer for being brave enough to be honest.

In the film, some then-and-now photos showcase her change in appearance during her 1989 era and her Reputation era in 2018. The singer mentioned how her under-eating during that time had affected her stamina on tour. However, she has made peace with her body image and appears to be comfortable with the same.

The singer recently concluded the European leg of her Eras Tour with her final concert in London. She also took to her Instagram to thank her fans for being a part of and to address the terrorist attack threat that pushed her to cancel her Vienna concerts. Her latest release, The Tortured Poets Department, has been No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for over 15 weeks.

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