Demi Lovato talks being a role model

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Demi Lovato didn't ask to be a role model to young girls, but she has learned to embrace the fact that whether she want's to or not, her actions matter because she's a celebrity.

But the 22-year-old singer didn't always look at things from that perspective. While speaking to Access Hollywood from the set of her of a photoshoot with the Tampax and Always Radiant Collection, Lovato said her "shying away from" being a role model earlier in her career made her resent the fact that people were putting boundaries in her life.

"People sometimes just want to live their lives. At that moment, I knew I was doing a lot of things that weren't right and weren't role model like until the day that I saw everything in the bigger picture where my voice -- if you live your whole career just singing and just taking pictures and just living in front of everyone, if you don't use your voice for good, it's actually a very vain career, [a] narcissistic career, so I want to use my voice for good and I know that I can do a lot other than singing," she continued. "And that's what I want to do. That's what I want to show people."

Asked when she noticed that her fans saw her as an approachable celebrity, the star said it happened after she opened up to them.

"I think it's important for people to realize that celebrities are human beings and that nobody has it easy just because they are a celebrity and people that you think are flawless are actually flawed themselves, sometimes more than you are," she said. "I love being open and honest and vulnerable with people, because it's just a part of who I am."

Lovato has famously shared her struggles with eating disorders and self harm with fans through several interviews and she documented her return from rehab in the MTV series Stay Strong in 2012.