Sam Smith opens up about his body image battle

Sam Smith got candid about his struggles with body image all thanks to a special photo shoot he did with photographer Ryan Pfluger.

The “Dancing with a Stranger” singer posted a photo of himself shirtless on the beach.

“In the past if I have ever done a photo shoot with so much as a t-shirt on, I have starved myself for weeks in advance and then picked and prodded at every picture and then normally taken the picture down,” Smith captioned the photo. “Yesterday I decided to fight the fuck back. Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally. “

“Some may take this as narcissistic and showing off but if you knew how much courage it took to do this and the body trauma I have experienced as a kid you wouldn’t think those things. Thank you for helping me celebrate my body AS IT IS @ryanpfluger I have never felt safer than I did with you. I’ll always be at war with this bloody mirror but this shoot and this day was a step in the right fucking direction,” he went on.

Pfluger also shared how important the photo shoot was for him as well with his own Instagram post of Smith.

“Being a photographer can often be a very thankless job (let’s not even get started on overdue payments, lack of crediting, unrealistic expectations etc.) – Yet true collaboration brings all the gratitude and good vibes for complete fulfillment. Seeing the appreciation for body positivity & mental health today has been… humbling to say the least. Thank you again Sam, for your generosity, vulnerability and friendship,” Pfluger wrote.