The Unnecessary Scandal Between Demi Lovato and the LA Frozen Yoghurt Business, Bigg Chill
Picture this. There are an abundance of daises growing in a local field – they are admired by some, dismissed by others. Those who cherish them regularly visit this field to gaze and take pictures of them to spread the word about their beauty whilst others find the daisy’s appearance rather unappealing.
However, regardless of one’s human right to an opinion, those that find them unattractive irrationally cut them down without consulting those who cherished the daises – a self-righteousness that means the others can no longer enjoy looking at the daises. This is what Demi Lovato has done. They have torn down a business that has catered for so many with underlying health issues – they have destroyed their daisies.
Recently, Demi Lovato, the American actor and singer which dominated many childhood television shows in the late 2000’s, went to their Instagram comprised of an overwhelming 108 million followers to tear down an independent LA frozen yoghurt company, Bigg Chill. This attack was on the grounds of a ‘triggering’ experience when entering the store which was plagued with diet and sugar-free options before reaching the till. They verbally attacked the company by associating them with the hashtag ‘#dietculturevultures’, an attack which was arguably unnecessary.
Posting the private messages between themselves and the company on their Instagram, they continued to bash the independently woman-owned business, saying that they ‘perpetuate a society that not only enables but praises disordered eating’ as they ‘find it extremely hard to order froyo when I must walk past tons of sugar free cookies and diet foods’, stating they should ‘do better’. Yes, diet culture should not be glamourised. People should not have to feel guilty for eating the higher calorie option, yet social media has trained us into doing exactly that.
In the modern day, media adverts are plastered with ‘same taste, lower calorie’ sweet treats, where the enjoyment eating food brings is stripped away by the number of calories it carries. It has become deeply woven into the fabric of our everyday lives where we are praised for choosing the lower calorie option while exercising our will power to avoid the higher calorie treats. And Bigg Chill is a company that sells these exact sweet treats. They sell cookies called ‘Eat Me Guilt Free’, a label that insinuates that one should feel terrible for eating a ‘normal’ cookie. So understandably, with Demi suffering from bulimia in the past, these foods would be triggering.
Yet, regardless of one’s past traumas, every store has the right to sell sugar-free options to appeal to the needs of all their customers, whether that be those who are looking to lose weight or those with underlying health conditions that must keep track of their sugar intake. Yes, these items may not agree with a customer’s beliefs, but do you see every supermarket that sells lower calorie options being torn down? No. Bigg Chill replied to Demi’s irrational comments with a perfect clarification for selling these sugar-free items – to be inclusive. These products are catered for those with underlying health issues, particularly for diabetics, those with celiac disease, and vegans. Many of Bigg Chill’s diabetic customers supported this clarification on Twitter, saying that they were rather thankful for their sugar-free frozen yoghurt options. As they do not have a choice to eat whatever they want, companies like Bigg Chill give them this freedom. Displaying an array of sugar-free options, those who are diabetic no longer feel restricted – this is simply a company that caters for all and is not a ‘#dietculturevulture’.
Yet, Demi counteracted this clarification, saying that they should make it clearer that these foods are for those with special requirements - so do they expect a sign pointing at the sugar-free items saying, ‘this is the food for the sick’? People do not want to be singled out, to be labelled as those who require the alternative option – they want to feel included. Hence, Demi has misinterpreted their intentions. It is not that they are deliberately promoting diet culture, it is just that they must satisfy the criteria many businesses must fulfil – to appeal to a wide range of customers.
Attacking an independent store merely because they want to target a wider demographic is unjustified. If Demi truly wanted to attack diet culture, they should have called out the large corporations who produce these items rather than small local businesses who have had enough economic losses due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Not only have they personally attacked them, but they have permanently tarnished their name. Now every time someone hears of the business Bigg Chill they will associate it with Demi’s irrational attack – an attack which has made its name synonymous with the hashtag ‘#dietculturevultures’. Regardless, businesses must acknowledge that whilst some customers will be satisfied, others will be offended by their displays of a sugar-free items – this is merely the way the world works. Conflicting interests, futile arguments and a lack of agreement is inevitable, an inevitability that confirms that whilst Demi Lovato’s attack upon them was unnecessary, these arguments have just become another challenge businesses must overcome.
Written by Holly Downes
Hey, I’m Holly and am a first year English Literature and Philosophy student at Durham University from London. I love writing about anything and everything, reading, going to the gym and eating good food and drinking cocktails with my friends!
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