Demi Lovato Defends Her Cosmopolitan Cover: "I Feel Incredibly Empowered"

"Cool for the Summer" singer also calls herself a feminist "before it was cool"

By Francesca Bacardi Aug 06, 2015 1:10 PMTags
E! Placeholder Image

Demi Lovato is Cosmopolitan's September cover girl, and the singer looks incredible. But now that some stores plan to hide the magazine from their shelves, she's speaking out.

But the "Cool for the Summer" crooner isn't standing for it. Lovato turned to Instagram to call out her critics, telling them she doesn't care what she has to say because she has never been happier with her appearance. In her lengthy message, seen below, Lovato tells her haters that her newfound confidence and self-love, which admittedly "took soul searching and a bit of time," allowed her to embrace her body and sexuality. She ends her powerful statement by writing, "I am confident in my own skin and A PROUD @COSMOPOLITAN COVER GIRL!"

She gave her statement a simple caption: "#unwrapmycosmo."

Lovato has always been vocal about her struggles with substance abuse, body image and self-esteem, and often talks candidly about how she learned to love herself. She often posts pictures on her social media pages that encourage her fans to find their own self-confidence, but inside Cosmo's pages she claims she put women's issues first before anybody else.

A photo posted by Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) on

"I considered myself a feminist before it was cool," she tells the mag. "Now everyone is claiming it."

There's no telling whether or not those words are directed at any female celeb in particular, but it's certainly going to get people chatting about her new album. Based on recent interviews, including one she gave to Ryan Seacrest, this album is sure to reveal a different side of the former Disney darling.

"The thing with my music, I've spent so long just kind of people pleasing, making everybody happy with being the best role model I can be," she explained. "At the end of the day, yes, I'm outspoken about the things I believe in: mental health, advocacy work, I have my own charity. I have all these things that make me a role model. But at the same time, none of these things are representing the badass that I am."

Even though her hard-partying days are behind her, the "Neon Lights" singer admits to Cosmo that she used to get jealous of people such as Miley Cyrus. "There was a time when I was jealous of people who were able to party," she confessed to the mag. "For instance, Miley, in her music video 'Can't Stop,' her whole thing was partying and not giving a f--k. Part of me was super jealous that I couldn't be like that. I had to look at my life and be like, 'OK, that's just not what you can do. There's no need to be bitter about it.'"

In a better place than ever, Lovato is clearly putting her "badass" self on display in her "Cool for the Summer" music video