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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Isobel Lewis

Demi Lovato says she cut her hair short to ‘free myself’ from Christian gender norms

Photograph: Getty Images for OBB Media

Demi Lovato has revealed that she cut her hair off to free herself from the “gender and sexuality norms” placed on her by her religion.

The singer, who recently released her new documentary series and album Dancing with the Devil, debuted her short pixie cut last November.

Appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show, Lovato said that cutting her hair was a sign that she was putting herself before her career for the first time.

“I was so preoccupied trying to be the sexy feminine pop star that I just ignored who I am,” she told Barrymore.

“I cut my hair because I just wanted to free myself of all of the gender and sexuality norms that were placed on me as a Christian in the South,” Lovato, who was brought up in Texas, said.

“When I cut my hair, I felt so liberated because I wasn’t subscribing to an ideal or a belief placed upon me to be something that I’m not.”

Lovato added that since cutting her hair, she is now “the happiest I’ve ever felt”.

In March, Lovato explored her past struggles with addiction in the YouTube series Dancing with the Devil.

The documentary chronicles the months leading up to Lovato’s 2018 overdose and her journey back to sobriety.

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