GBL: A recent Glamour study revealed that women feel worse about their bodies today versus 30 years ago, concluding that social media is partially to blame. Has social media had a negative effect on you?
DL: Social media started impacting my life when I was about 14 years old. I would check it obsessively, reading comments and wondering if people noticed that I’d gained or lost weight. I allowed social media to define what I thought of my body. And now I realize that no matter how thin you are, someone will call you fat. No matter how beautiful you are, someone will call you ugly. But you can’t spend your time worrying about that. You’re just not going to please the world.
GBL: You’re really active on social media. How do you draw the line?
DL: I like to read fan comments on Twitter about my music or to see cool pictures they’ve posted. And occasionally I’ll come across a negative comment, but I just laugh it off. In the past that would have really affected me.
GBL: When you were 18, you revealed that you were struggling with anorexia and bulimia. How do you manage today?
DL: It’s very easy for my old eating habits to kick in, so I follow a pretty strict routine. I don’t like to call it a diet, because for me it’s medicine. I have a nutritionist who sends me meals wherever I am on the road. This makes everything super simple.
GBL: How do you keep your energy up for performing? You’ve been touring for over a year!
DL: The more active I am, the better I feel and the longer I can stay onstage without losing my breath. I’ve experienced a big spiritual shift this summer, where I did a lot of work on myself. It’s time I really take my health seriously.
GBL: You recently spoke to Congress about mental health reform. Why is advocacy so important to you?
DL: It gets me outside of my head and gives me a sense of joy. I’m also very passionate about charity because it helps people who don’t have as loud of a voice as I do. Performing is my passion. But it’s not gonna change the world. That’s why I give back.