In a week apparently filled with startling admissions, Lady Gaga announced that she has been suffering from an eating disorder for the past several years, and is now trying to recover.

In multiple photos posted to her website Little Monsters, Gaga, clad only in underwear showed off her body after reportedly gaining 25 lbs. In a caption, she wrote “Bulimia and anorexia since I was 15. But today I join the body revolution. To inspire bravery. And breed some motherf—king compassion.”

Gaga’s weight has been the subject of tabloid scrutiny in the past several weeks, ever since photos of her performing in Amsterdam showed her looking heavier than usual. Kelly Osbourne, a critic on the TV show “Fashion Police,” observed the star’s weight change, saying, ''I think she is pregnant because she has been covering up this part of her body recently and I have been noticing that a lot.”

An article published by the Daily Mail observed that the singer “looked decidedly meaty,” especially “around her thigh and hip region.” The tabloid also included remarks from a nutritionist named Majid Ali, who had not treated Gaga, claiming that she appeared “to have gained at least 30 pounds.”

After the release of the photos, sources reported that the Gaga was planning to embark on an intense diet regimen to lose the much publicized weight. “Gaga has decided to go on a major body blitz and cut out all gluten and wheat from her diet … to drop 10 pounds in a month,” a source told for Sky News.

But in an apparent change of heart, she has decided instead to launch a project called “Body Revolution.” The singer describes the project on her website as an offensive against body-shaming. In a post that accompanied her recent photos, Gaga implored fans to "be brave and celebrate with us your 'perceived flaws,' as society tells us. May we make our flaws famous, and thus redefine the heinous."

The response was instantaneous. Within hours of her post many of Gaga’s fans had followed suit, uploading pictures of themselves that displayed scars, skin conditions, scars, and documentation of post-eating disorder weight gain.

But the project has already received some criticism. Kelsey Wallace, in a blog post for Bitch Magazine, wrote that she wished the singer would use her platform to try to steer the conversation away from looks altogether.

“It's wonderful that Lady Gaga has what I'm sure is real compassion and love for her friends and fans, but couldn't she leave her supportive comments at ‘She is so brave’ and skip the ‘Her boobs look even better!!’ part? Why does it matter if her boobs look great? What if they didn't? If her fan Emily was not ‘FINE AS HELL’ would she need to diet until she was?” wrote Wallace.

The 26-year-old popstar’s revelation followed closely on the heels of Katie Couric’s personal disclosure on Monday that she also suffered from bulimia throughout her 20s. “Heroes” star Hayden Panettiere, also recently opened up about body-image issues. In the October issue of Women’s Health, Panettiere revealed that she struggled with body dysmorphia throughout her teens.

RELATED STORIES
Lady Gaga