Jump to content

Shawn Mendes opens up about his body image and self-esteem: “If you don’t work out, you’re going to lose fans.”


Recommended Posts

  • Leader

Shawn-Mendes.jpg


Shawn Mendes admits his celebrity pressured him to stay fit, despite yearning to relax more. 

In a new interview with British GQ, Mendes says he felt like he had to live up to a certain ideal the public had of him. 

From the interview:

Quote

“I held myself accountable to that image of not doing anything wrong, or saying anything wrong, so hard over the last few years,” he says. He knows, however, that this USP has been part of his power: “It’s not that that’s got me here. But it is a part of where I am.”

He knew he didn’t have to be perfect, he says. Everyone who loved him told him that. They would tell him, “You are not your body. You are not your voice. You are not your songs. You are you and people love you because of you.”

But the voice in his head said otherwise. “Some days I would have three hours of sleep, [because] I’d get up two hours early just to be able to work out”, all to quiet the nagging neurosis that would tell him, “If you don’t work out, you’re going to lose fans.”

His Calvin Klein campaign didn’t help. He had connected his identity with being a “pinnacle of fitness” and the struggle for perfection was beginning to get to him. But a few things helped: he started meditating and journalling. He signs off every entry with the same message to himself: “Love you, man, got your back.”

He also saw how Cabello’s body was treated by the public and the press, which he knows is ten times more intense than the scrutiny he faced. But then he also saw how she responded. “So strong, so clear and confident with her [body] and so articulate and empathetic about other people’s,” he recalled, “and it really changed my view of mine. It really changed my life.” He realised that “taking that extra few hours of sleep, instead of waking up to pump iron, is a better choice sometimes”.

MOTYOnlineCropsAndHP_Shawn-Mendes4.jpg

MOTYOnlineCropsAndHP_Shawn-Mendes3.jpg

MOTYOnlineCropsAndHP_Shawn-Mendes2.jpgMOTYOnlineCropsAndHP_Shawn-Mendes5.jpgMOTYOnlineCropsAndHP_Shawn-Mendes7.jpgMOTYOnlineCropsAndHP_Shawn-Mendes6.jpg

Photos: GQ shawn-body.jpg.e9f31d4de1f315469ebc0b64edaf6b2c.jpg

Link to comment
55 minutes ago, soweird101 said:

It'll come out?  I think you meant HE'll come out.  The problem with Shawn is that nothing about him is genuine or real.  He think he needs to be this idea of perfect without realizing that people flock to celebrities they can relate to.  He's too busy worrying about what people think or his fans instead of being his authentic self.   I think his strong feminine traits terrify him but he needs to realize that he'll be much happier [and more in the public eye] if he actually came out.  Let's be real, his fan base by now has to realize how badly manufactured he is - nothing about him is real.

I don't want to "assume" people's genders or ***ual orientations or Jordana Agatha Miller will suspend me again.

  • Haha 4
Link to comment

To me, he comes off as scared little child right now. He can be scared of flopping so that he has to bring up this. I mean, I do understand where that is coming from. Yet there's something off with him these days. Firstly, those deadly walks with Camila. Secondly, a documentary that was not an actual documentary. Thirdly, that mess with Justin B mentoring him. Then messy music. Now this. Can he be burned out or depressed?

  • Love 1
Link to comment
2 hours ago, Jordan Miller said:

Shawn-Mendes.jpg


Shawn Mendes admits his celebrity pressured him to stay fit, despite yearning to relax more. 

In a new interview with British GQ, Mendes says he felt like he had to live up to a certain ideal the public had of him. 

From the interview:

MOTYOnlineCropsAndHP_Shawn-Mendes4.jpg

MOTYOnlineCropsAndHP_Shawn-Mendes3.jpg

MOTYOnlineCropsAndHP_Shawn-Mendes2.jpgMOTYOnlineCropsAndHP_Shawn-Mendes5.jpgMOTYOnlineCropsAndHP_Shawn-Mendes7.jpgMOTYOnlineCropsAndHP_Shawn-Mendes6.jpg

Photos: GQ shawn-body.jpg.e9f31d4de1f315469ebc0b64edaf6b2c.jpg

Well, that’s a little bit superficial... But is better than Sam Smith’s idea about getting fit. I think they can learn something from each other...

Link to comment

Leave a comment!

Not so fast! Did you know you can post now and register later? If you are already a member of Exhale, sign in here and start posting!
If you are not logged in, your post will need to be manually approved by an Exhale moderator before it's visible to everyone.

Guest
Tap to reply!

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...