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Kesha: 'Online trolls are the worst bullies in history'

Written by . Published: May 18 2017

The childhood bullies Kesha had to deal with growing up were "quaint" compared to the online trolls who abuse her on a daily basis, according to the singer.


The Tik Tok hitmaker reveals she was often put down by her peers in school for being an "outcast", but insists cyberbullying is far more harmful than the schoolyard intimidation she suffered in her youth.

"When I think about the kind of bullying I dealt with as a child and teen, it seems almost quaint compared with what goes on today," she writes in a candid essay for Teen Vogue. "The amount of body-shaming and baseless s**t-shaming online makes me sick... I have felt so unlovable after reading cruel words written by strangers who don’t know a thing about me."

Kesha checked herself into rehab in 2014 to treat a eating disorder and she is convinced online trolls were largely responsible for feeling so bad about herself.

"Seeing paparazzi photos of myself and the accompanying catty commentary (online) fueled my eating disorder," she continues. "The sick irony was that when I was at some of the lowest points in my life, I kept hearing how much better I looked. I knew I was destroying my body with my eating disorder, but the message I was getting was that I was doing great."

Kesha closed out the essay by encouraging fans to develop self-confidence, noting she plans to use her pain to inspire others on her forthcoming album.

"I’m currently writing an album that explores how my vulnerabilities are a strength, not a weakness," the pop star writes. "With this essay, I want to pass along the message to anyone who struggles with an eating disorder, or depression, or anxiety, or anything else, that if you have physical or emotional scars, don’t be ashamed of them, because they are part of you.

"Remember that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. And that no one can take the magic you make."

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