Sam Smith Opens up About Learning to Love Their Body After Years of Insecurity
Singer-songwriter Sam Smith, who in 2019 described their issues with body image as ‘the basis of all my sadness’, has opened up about learning to love their body after years of insecurity, revealing that they now have ‘the opposite of body dysmorphia’.
The comments came in an interview with The Sunday Times, in which Smith said that they are now ‘happier than ever’ in their own skin following years of dread over scrutiny from within the music industry over the way they look.
The 30-year-old shot to fame in 2014 with their Grammy-winning debut album, In the Lonely Hour, and enjoyed continued success with their Oscar-winning theme song to James Bond film Spectre, but following a demanding tour in 2018, they were forced to reevaluate their relationship with their body image.
‘When I was 25, I came off tour exhausted,’ Smith said. ‘I looked to role models in the body world. Every time I went to the pool I felt self-conscious, but I forced myself to take my top off.
‘It paid off because I now have the opposite of body dysmorphia. I look fabulous. I’m finally getting a tan. I’m burnt in places I’ve never been burnt.’
The NHS says body dysmorphia is a ‘mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about flaws in their appearance’ that are often unnoticeable to others. The condition is most common among teenagers and young adults.
Smith has been vocal in the past about their experience dealing with body image issues. In an Instagram post shared in 2019, they said how they will ‘always be at war with this bloody mirror’, but ‘decided to fight the fuck back. Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally’.
It seems the star has stuck with this mindset and is now feeling more comfortable in their own skin – as can be seen in a post shared on Instagram on Christmas Day last year in which they can be seen wearing nothing but a pair of bikini bottoms.
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Consult your GP if you think you might have body dysmorphic disorder. You can find out more about the condition here.
The following organisations also provide useful information and advice:
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