GLAM BELLEZA LATINA: You’re currently in the midst of a massive world tour. Do you realize how your music affects your fans?
DEMI LOVATO: It’s really humbling. Their devotion helps me be the role model that I want to be. I don’t think I’ll ever completely understand it, but I’m very grateful.
GBL: We’ve watched you morph into a woman whose inner beauty, with your apparent strength and confidence, now matches your outer beauty. Do you believe the two always align?
DL: Well, you can be the most beautiful woman in the world and see yourself as hideous. You must love yourself. To look in the mirror and tell yourself that you’re a rock star, you know?
GBL: I love that. What else?
DL: Self-care is a big one. Everyone has their thing, and for me it’s my nails. It sounds silly, but if I go weeks without getting my nails done, I must find an hour to get a manicure. It just makes me feel better. So does taking care of my skin. As a kid I’d play with homemade recipes, like putting pineapple on my face to exfoliate my skin and doing facial steams with lavender or peppermint oils. I just loved doing stuff like that. It’s what motivated me to launch my skin care line.
GBL: That’s a very Latina thing to do, by the way. How has your Latin background impacted the way you feel about your appearance?
DL: Growing up in America, I never really appreciated my culture. I knew what being Hispanic was, but I thought that since I didn’t look Hispanic, I was white.
GBL: How did that mind-set impact your body image?
DL: I tried to conform to what everyone thinks is beautiful. But my genetics gave me a curvy figure, and I’ve come to understand that in the Latina culture, that is beautiful. I no longer look at my body and think, Oh my gosh, I have such a fat butt. Or, I hate my thighs. On some days I don’t love them. But, you know, that’s one of the things that makes me me.