Madison Beer.Photo: Ryan Emberley/amfAR/Getty
WhenMadison Beerannounced she was writing a memoir, many people wondered how she could possibly have enough life experience to justify a book about her life at just 24 years old.
“I’ve lived so much life in such a short amount of time,” the singer-songwriter tells PEOPLE ahead of the April 25 release ofThe Half of It, which chronicles her rise to fame as a young teen and several harrowing events that followed — including a nude video of her at age 15 leaking online, struggles with addiction andsuicidal ideations. “I felt like this was the only appropriate place to speak on some of these topics.”
Beer’s career was sparked afterJustin Bieberreposted a video of her singing Etta James' “At Last” in 2012, which led to deals with managerScooter Braunand Island Records. She then released a string of bubblegum pop songs that she didn’t exactly connect with, she says. But fans did, and her social media follower counts swiftly skyrocketed into the millions.
Madison Beer.Courtesy Harper Collins
The amount of eyes on her at the time became a double-edged sword, as a private nude video of Beer at 15 that she sent in confidence to a romantic partner was leaked online and spread profusely on social media. She felt victimized at the time, as many people shamed her for sending the video in the first place. “I wasn’t really protected at all,” she says. “No one cared to even jump in and be like, ‘This is a child, and we shouldn’t be sharing this video.'”
She recalls being advised to deny that it was a video of her, which she did in hopes that the scrutiny directed her way would subside. Even as a young teenager, she was well-aware of the impact leaked nude footage could have on someone’s mental health. “When I was in middle school, there was a girl who committed suicide over her nudes being sent around,” says Beer.
Madison Beer.Matthew Priestley
“There were many times — just like the night my nudes were leaked — that I felt so backed into a corner I thought the only way out was to end my life,” she writes in her book.
She eventually found her way, releasing the EPAs She Pleasesin 2018 and her debut albumLife Supportin 2021. Today, it’s still frustrating for her to look back on how she was treated as a result. However, she doesn’t blame herself.
“I don’t hold shame around this. I don’t think any woman — or anyone in general — should. When we’re young and given a platform like Snapchat, what do you think is going to happen?” Beer says. “It really upsets me that this is an example of how men get away with things in society, and it can be a really tough pill to swallow.”
Madison Beer.Ryan Emberley/amfAR/Getty
She also doesn’t hold any animosity toward her parents for letting her pursue a career in the entertainment world at such a young age.
“We were all flung into this industry without any awareness of what it was really like on the inside — but I think the people around me who were a bit more experienced in the industry maybe didn’t do their best at stepping in,” explains Beer. “At the end of the day, my parents both were like, ‘This has been our daughter’s dream since she was born, and we’re going to let her follow this journey and support her.'”
Looking back, she feels as though she was a “Guinea pig” for how much a teenage girl could be sexualized in the burgeoning social media landscape she came up in. Part of the reason she wroteThe Half of Itwas to analyze such events and open readers’ eyes to how she was mistreated at the time.
“I definitely feel like a lot of the book is about reclaiming the narrative,” says Beer. “I’ve put on myself a bit of a responsibility to advocate and speak on these things and make people aware that their words do hurt, linger and impact you.”
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
