It is so on between Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift.
Earlier this week, excerpts from an interview Lovato gave to Glamour went viral online.
They were highlighted by a couple of pretty clear and cruel digs at Swift’s expense.
“In certain situations, certain people could be doing more if they’re going to claim that as part of their brand," Lovato said of feminism and female empowerment, very obviously referring to Swift.
Back in February, Lovato had also called out Swift as a fake feminist, basically saying it’s easy to talk about supporting women… but she didn’t see much action behind that talk from Taylor.
In this latest interview, Lovato honed in on Taylor’s famous "squad" of friends.
"To be honest, and this will probably get me in trouble, I don’t see anybody in any sort of squad that has a normal body," Demi said of a group that includes Karlie Kloss, Gigi Hadid and Selena Gomez.
"It’s kind of this false image of what people should look like. And what they should be like, and it’s not real."
This was an odd thing to say, for a multitude of reasons:
FIRST, to be blunt, how many overweight or even "normal" looking women are there in Hollywood?
It is an industry that pressures women to look a certain way, which is most definitely an issue Lovato can and has taken up in the past.
But it seems unfair to blame Swift for the appearances of her friends, as if she ought to select acquaintances based on the message they will send to her fans.
SECOND, to be even more blunt, Lena Dunham is in Taylor’s squad.
We love Lena Dunham. But she’d be the first to tell you that her body is very much "normal."
THIRD, this is less a Taylor Swift issue than an issue in general.
Was the lead cheerleader in your high school friends with the valedictorian? Or the starting quarterback close pals with the guys playing Dungeon and Dragons?
We tend to associate with people who act like us, who are in similar life situations as us and, yes, who look like us.
It’s admirable that Lovato has taken up the cause of self-confidence and self-esteem. Look through our coverage of her on The Hollywood Gossip; you won’t find a website who is more passionately on Team Demi.
But she picked the wrong fight here.
According to E! News, Swift is very displeased with the comments made by her fellow young singer.
"Taylor has a tight group of women in her life that all have her and each others’ back and sometimes people just want that," an insider tells the site.
"She thought it was unnecessary for her to make those comments. They both have never been really good friends."
Aware of the backlash against her, Lovato initially Tweeted:
"I get asked questions. I answer them. Sue me. Also don’t forget that words can be taken out of context when doing interviews.. still not apologizing for saying what everyone want to say."
But she then followed up this statement with a shocking and unfortunate one:
She’s taking a long break from social media and the spotlight in general.
“So excited for 2017," Lovato wrote online. "Taking a break from music and the spotlight. I am not meant for this business and the media.”
That sucks.
Lovato has battled substance abuse and bipolar disorder for years. She spent many weeks in rehab for these issues in 2010.
We have no doubt that she means well and we admire her for speaking her mind.
But maybe a hiatus is what’s best for Demi at the moment.
We hope she comes back strong from it and that she and Taylor can eventually make up and at least be cordial with each other.