Demi Lovato's makeover from pop star to rock singer has stirred controversy. In mid-January 2023, a poster promoting Lovato's latest album, Holy Fvck, was banned in Britain following complaints.
Lovato, who uses they/them pronouns, reinvented their public persona in 2022 in line with the musical timbre of Holy Fvck. Lovato's new look was dark: black hair, spikey clothes, and sharp accessories to match the grittier sounds on Holy Fvck.
Songs were soundtracked with radio-friendly hard rock instrumentation intended to mirror Lovato's raw, personal lyrics.
It was a moody turn with religious undertones, reflected in the album art for Holy Fvck, which saw Lovato strapped in bondage-style leather, poised atop a faux-stained cross-shaped pillow.
Similar imagery appeared on corresponding Holy Fvck merchandise and informed the costumes that Lovato wore on the Holy Fvck tour and recent concert performances.
When the provocative imagery was released to the public in August 2022, it was shared across the world through social media and advertisements, including a series of posters pasted across London.
After receiving four complaints from the public, Britain's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) issued a report report calling the Holy Fvck posters offensive and banning them from the country.
“We considered that the image of Ms Lovato bound up in a bondage-style outfit whilst lying on a mattress shaped like a crucifix... together with the reference to ‘holy fvck’... was likely to cause serious offence to Christians,” said the ASA.
Polydor Records, Lovato's record label, disputed the assertations.
Lovato — themselves no stranger to strange spiritual controversy — is merely the latest example of Christianity-centric concerns.
Mere months ago, Balenciaga's child ad scandal had commentators up in arms over a perceived bondage/grooming scare while Addison Rae triggered controversy by wearing a "Holy Spirit" bikini in an advertisement.
