Selena Gomez is getting more candid about her struggles with lupus.
In a rare new interview, she opened up about the weight fluctuations she’s had to deal with and the difficult body-shaming that came as a result of that.
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Given how absolutely gorgeous Selena Gomez is, you would think that body-shaming is something that she wouldn’t have to deal with, right?
Well, sadly, that isn’t the case.
In a rare new interview, the “Love You to Lose Me” singer revealed that body shaming has really “messed” her up.
Since Selena was diagnosed with lupus, she’s always been open about her struggles.
This includes not being afraid to defend herself when she had to step away from the spotlight for health-related issues.
Like the time in 2015 when she was forced to clear up reports that she was in rehab for drug-related issues.
In actuality, she had been undergoing chemotherapy at the time.
As you can imagine, she did not appreciate being made into a false tabloid story.
When speaking to “Billboard,” she really let the haters have it.
“I was diagnosed with Lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy. That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke,” she said .
“I wanted so badly to say: ‘You guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy. You’re [expletive].’ I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.”
She continued:
“I’m so [expletive] nice to everybody and everyone is so vile to me. I’ve been working since I was seven. I’ve been a UNICEF ambassador since I was 17. It’s so disappointing that I’ve become a tabloid story.”
Despite the treatment, her battle with the illness was far from over.
In 2017, she disappeared from the spotlight again to undergo and recover from kidney transplant surgery.
Another side effect to Selena’s illness is the weight gain she sometimes experiences from the medication she takes.
Throughout the years, this has led to Selena being ridiculed by mean comments from body shamers.
For example, when the singer was photographed on vacation in 2018, trolls criticized the way her body looked.
Shortly after the images went viral, Selena appeared to comment indirectly on the backlash on Instagram.
She wrote: “The beauty myth- an obsession with physical perfection that traps modern woman in an endless cycle of hopelessness, self consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfil society’s impossible definition of flawless beauty.”
“I chose to take care of myself because I want to, not to prove anything to anyone. Wind in her sails.”
Now, in a new rare interview, Selena has spoken more about how body-shaming has really “messed her up.”
While speaking to the Giving Back Generation podcast, she said:
“I experienced body image [issues] with my weight fluctuation for the first time,” Selena said.
“I have Lupus and deal with kidney issues and high blood pressure, so I deal with a lot of health issues. For me that’s when I really started noticing more of the body image stuff.”
Since it was the medication that caused her weight to fluctuate, she found it hurtful to be “attacked” for something that was out of her control.
She explained that this is medication that she has to take for the rest of her life.
“It depends on the month, to be honest. I really noticed when people started attacking me for that.”
She continued: “In reality, that’s just my truth. I fluctuate. It depends what’s happening in my life, it’s out of my control and that got to me big time. I think for me, that really messed me up for a bit.”
She even explained how the whole experience has changed her relationship with social media.
“I see so many beautiful girls and amazing different characters and then they’re just demolished by an image they’re trying to chase,” she said.
“They’re wanting to be a completely different person, but that’s not what’s inside of them … I get it. I look at other people’s pages — or, I used to — and I’m like, OK, I need to fix myself.”
“I want people to have a good relationship with social media. It’s not going anywhere anytime soon. But knowing that real world’s in front of you and trying to pay attention to that is healthy,” she continued.
She added: “When I make an effort to post on social media, it’s important for me to make sure it’s 100% authentic. And once I post it, I post it. That’s it.”
For the rest of Selena’s revealing interview, you can watch it here !
