The Sad Way Kelly Clarkson Struggles With Her Body Image
Kelly Clarkson appears to have it all — a long lasting music career, a family of her own, and even a successful talk show. However, she has also faced an immense amount of drama and scrutiny in her life, including over her appearance.
In August, Clarkson sat down with Food Network star Valerie Bertinelli on "The Kelly Clarkson Show." The two discussed Bertinelli's memoir "Enough Already," in which the "One Day at a Time" actor candidly discussed her internal struggles with her weight, crash dieting, and lack of self-love. "I learned at a young age that gaining weight was unlovable ...so I'm still trying to purge that out of my system because that's not true. It's just a lie," she admitted. Bertinelli wrote the book to hopefully encourage others to love themselves exactly as they are right now.
The raw conversation struck a nerve with Clarkson, as the talk show host then revealed her own story pertaining to her body image growing up.
Kelly Clarkson has faced criticism about her weight since she was young
During her conversation with Valerie Bertinelli, Kelly Clarkson admitted that, from a young age, she struggled to cope with the unsolicited judgment from others about her weight. Per Today, the singer even battled bulimia during her freshman year of high school in a desperate quest to lose weight. After losing a part in her school's musical, Clarkson thought that losing weight would help put her in the spotlight.
And the judgments about Clarkson's weight haven't stopped, especially with her being a star in the entertainment world. The mom of four (two biological children and two stepchildren with ex Brandon Blackstock) previously admitted to Redbook that she has her private "goal weight" she would like to hit. However, the singer made a decision early on to love herself and her body and to ignore people with anything negative to say. "What I am glad about is, I think so many things happened to me when I was young about my weight that, even at a young age — like, so many things got said — that's whenever I was just like: 'Whatever, I'm not gonna please anyone,'" she recalled with Bertinelli.
If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).
Kelly Clarkson is working to instill self-esteem in her kids
Because Kelly Clarkson experienced self-esteem issues as a child, she encourages her own children to know and assert their worth. That especially goes for her youngest children, daughter River and son Remington. "Even from a young age, I think you should instill that people, your children, should always stand up for themselves or speak out when something is wrong," she stated in a previous interview with People. To the former "The Voice" coach, that includes speaking up for others if need be. "I think if we start it at that young age, you start molding people and growing to these very elevated individuals that help elevate society," Clarkson added.
Though she faced some struggles with her image, the singer's basking in who she is today. Though it's not easy, per InStyle, Clarkson is determined not to let the pressure of the entertainment industry change who she is for the sake of being popular. "At the end of the day, if you're not being your authentic self, one day you will wake up and you [won't be able to] even find that person anymore," she said.