Taylor Swift opened up about her struggles with an eating disorder in a new documentary about her life.
The documentary, “Miss Americana,” premiered at Sundance Film Festival on Thursday and provided a more up-close look at the pop superstar’s life and career.
“I remember how, when I was 18, that was the first time I was on the cover of a magazine. And the headline was like ‘Pregnant at 18?’” Swift recalled in an interview with Variety. “And it was because I had worn something that made my lower stomach look not flat.”
Those kinds of pictures or comments would “just trigger me to just starve a little bit — just stop eating,” Swift said in the documentary, according to Variety.
While touring for her 2018 album “Reputation,” Swift had gotten to a point where it affected her ability to perform, CNN reported.
“I thought that I was supposed to feel like I was going to pass out at the end of a show, or in the middle of it,” Swift explained in the documentary, according to Variety. “Now I realize, no, if you eat food, have energy, get stronger, you can do all these shows and not feel (enervated).”
Society’s expectations and social impact can have a huge impact on the way that women view themselves, Swift told Variety.
“Women are held to such a ridiculous standard of beauty,” she told Variety. “We’re seeing so much on social media that makes us feel like we are less than, or we’re not what we should be, that you kind of need a mantra to repeat in your head when you start to have harmful or unhealthy thoughts.”
The director of “Miss Americana,” Lana Wilson, praised Swift for her openness in discussing her challenges in the documentary.
“I think it’s really brave to see someone who is a role model for so many girls and women be really honest about that,” Wilson told Variety, adding, “I think it will have a huge impact.”