She said it once, now she’s said it again: Selena Gomez has had enough of people discussing her body. Her comments came as part of a TikTok Live on Thursday, which found the singer and founder of Rare Beauty opening up about her experience of taking medication for lupus, the autoimmune disease she suffers from.
“I tend to hold a lot of water weight and that happens very normally, and then when I’m off it I tend to kind of lose weight,” she told the camera. “I just wanted to say and encourage anyone out there who feels any sort of shame for exactly what [you’re] going through, [when] nobody knows the real story… you’re beautiful and you’re wonderful.”
She went on, acknowledging that there were days when it made her feel “like shit”, but that she would much rather be healthy and take her medication to help her live a better life. The symptoms of lupus include aching muscles, tiredness, joint pain and/or stiffness, hair loss, depression and skin lesions—to name a few. Symptoms range in severity, but Gomez had a kidney transplant in 2017, suggesting she suffers severe problems as a result of the disease.
Gomez attending the Golden Globes in January. Michael Kovac/Getty Images
“Not a model, never will be,” she added. “Thanks for supporting me and understanding and, if not… go away. Because honestly I don’t believe in shaming people for [their] body or anything.” Having been the topic of much media attention due to her weight over the years, and particularly recently, she has previously spoken out about the relentless criticism and body shaming she has experienced.
In a breakdown of her “Life in Looks” for Vogue, she opened up about attending the Met Gala in 2015, at a time when she “didn’t feel good about my body” due to weight fluctuation. Of course, she looks beautiful in the images, but her vulnerability will no doubt be a comfort to her fans and followers, or indeed any women, struggling with their weight or body image. As always, she offered a positive conclusion: “That was one of the moments where I was like, ‘I don’t have to be that 19 year-old body shape anymore, because I’m not.’”
