Selena Gomez has been dodging body shamers for years and has always done a good job of ignoring the criticism, but it appears those negative comments did more damage than she let on. She recently opened up about the impact body shamers have had on her life in an episode of Apple TV+’s Dear….
In the past, Gomez has clapped back on social media whenever someone would post something about her weight or appearance. She would play it off as if she didn’t care what others thought and talk about how she’s perfect the way she is. Now, she’s taking a different tone – admitting that most of it was a lie.
“I lied. I would go online and I would post a picture of myself and I would say, ‘It doesn’t matter. I’m not accepting what you’re saying. All the while, being in the room posting and crying my eyes out because nobody deserves to hear those things,” Selena said in the interview. She cared, she just didn’t show it.
Selena Gomez went on to explain how her weight would fluctuate for a variety of reasons, whether it be due to certain medications she was taking or even due to her battle with lupus – a chronic autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. People didn’t seem to care.
“People just ran with it. It was like they couldn’t wait to find a thing to bring me down. I was being shamed for gaining weight because of my lupus,” she said. It’s a harsh reality that comes with access to social media and, unfortunately, is something many people – not just celebrities – experience on a regular basis.
Her reasoning for playing it off like it didn’t matter was because she ‘didn’t want it to bother other people who are experiencing the same thing’ – whether they were getting shamed for what they look like, who they are, or who they love. “I just think it’s so unfair. I don’t think that anybody deserves to feel less than.”
Last month, Selena Gomez took to TikTok to encourage others who experience shame for the things they go through, especially when those shamers have no idea the real story. “You are beautiful and you are wonderful,” she said on TikTok – furthering her belief that everyone should be happy with who they are.
Selena Gomez Opens Up About Her 2017 Kidney Transplant
In the same episode of Dear… on Apple TV+, Selena Gomez opened up about the kidney transplant she had in 2017 – reiterating how grateful she is for her friend and fellow actress, Francia Raisa. She expressed how she will forever be in debt to Raisa for never hesitating before donating her kidney.
“It was one of those moments where I felt watched over. I know I was so, so, so lucky. I understand that that doesn’t happen for a lot of people and I know the outcome of some of those situations and how serious they are, so I do not take it lightly that it’s happened to me that way,” she said of Francia.
The two friends ended up getting matching tattoos of the date of the transplant – forever etching their friendship on their skin. Gomez has been open about the transplant in the past, posting a photo of her and Francia in side-by-side hospital beds as they held hands and posting a photo of the scar it left.
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“There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis. Lupus continues to be very misunderstood but progress is being made,” she wrote in the caption.
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