Selena Gomez has been opening up a lot lately. First, she released her two new songs, “Love You to Lose Me” and “Look at Her Now” which is believed to be her response to her past relationship with her long-time boyfriend, Justin Bieber.
Now, the singer is opening up about her battle with lupus and all the impact the disease has had on her weight. The Lupus Foundation of America describes lupus as a chronic autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body, including skin, joints, and organs. With lupus, the body can’t tell the difference between good proteins, called antibodies, that protect the body from foreign invaders, like viruses, bacteria, and germs. Autoantibodies end up attacking and destroying healthy tissue, leading to inflammation, pain, and damage.
She has been battling this disease since 2015 and has shared how it has affected her mental and physical health in an interview with Raquelle Stevens, for an episode of Stevens’ video podcast, Giving Back Generation. Gomez revealed that comments about her weight, posted to social media, really got to her when she was dealing with her health issues. Stevens posted a little snippet of the interview on her Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4vZRLglQ9L/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
According to Entertainment Tonight, Gomez said, “I experienced [body-shaming] with my weight fluctuation for the first time. I have lupus and deal with kidney issues and high blood pressure, so I deal with a lot of health issues, and for me, that’s when I really started noticing more of the body image stuff.”
Gomez went on to explain that her weight fluctuates due to medications and a combination of health issues. Being mocked or criticized during that time really stressed her out. She said that it “got to me big time,” and that it ultimately “really messed me up for a bit.” The singer said the “biggest lesson” she had to learn is that “[when it comes to] the people that have hurt me the most, to forgive them. And to continue to understand and have compassion for people.”
She continued to say that she’s very happy living her life and doesn’t feel the need to share everything on social media. She said, “I don’t care to expose myself to everyone and hear what they have to say about it.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4vaOWgFJvi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
As Gomez continues to deal with her daily struggles she leaves her fans with an inspiring message, “being vulnerable is a strength, not a weakness.” Don’t forget to watch her vodcast with Raquelle Stevens!