Photo: WENN
A petition calling for Lady Gaga to "stop glamourising bulimia" has been launched following the singer's controversial, vomit-filled performance at SXSW.
The petition, which currently holds 9779 signatures, also urges Gaga to end her working relationship with English performance artist and "vomit painter" Millie Brown, who appeared onstage with Gaga at the SXSW show.
It also points out the singer once struggled with bulimia herself. "Pop star Lady Gaga once struggled with bulimia, but now she is glamorizing the eating disorder," the petition begins. "This stunt was clearly intended to be provocative, tasteless and to create a media buzz around Lady Gaga...she should be more sensitive, having suffered from bulimia in the past."
"Hundreds of young women die from eating disorders every year, and many of her fans are at an age where women begin to develop these disorders. Lady Gaga needs to recognize the damage she could cause with these types of stunts," it continues.
Watch the controversial SXSW performance below:
The petition comes days after Demi Lovato criticised Gaga for the SXSW show, which saw Millie Brown repeatedly stick her fingers down her throat and vomit paint over the 'Applause' singer.
"Sad...as if we didn’t have enough people glamorizing eat[ing] disorders already," tweeted Lovato, who has been outspoken about her own former eating disorder. "Young people who are struggling to figure out their identities are seriously influenced by the things they see their idols do...Bottom line, it’s not 'cool' or 'artsy' at all."
Meanwhile, performance artist and Gaga collaborator Brown has defended her work. "There's a clear difference between using my body to create something beautiful, to express myself and feel powerful, rather than using it to punish myself and conform to society's standard," she told TMZ.
