Selena Gomez Was Criticized For Lupus-Related Weight Gain, And It "Really Messed" Her Up
"It's the medication I have to take for the rest of my life"
Photo: Getty
Selena Gomez in New York City.
- In 2015, Selena Gomez announced her diagnosis with lupus and subsequently underwent a kidney transplant due to complications from the chronic illness.
- In a new interview on Raquelle Stevens's video podcast, Giving Back Generation, Gomez opened up about being criticized for gaining weight after her diagnosis.
- "I really noticed when people started attacking me for that," she said.
Selena Gomez has been open about living with lupus, and the singer is now discussing the unfair criticism she faced when she gained weight as a result of the condition.
On the Giving Back Generation podcast, hosted by Raquelle Stevens, Gomez explained that because of the multiple health conditions she's living with, she's not in control of her fluctuating weight.
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The "Lose You to Love Me" singer said, per People, "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."
For Gomez, both her health conditions and the medications she takes for them can make her weight fluctuate. She explained, "It's the medication I have to take for the rest of my life—it depends on even the month, to be honest. So for me, I really noticed when people started attacking me for that. And in reality, that's just my truth. I fluctuate. It depends what's happening in my life."
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Being in the public eye exacerbated the situation, as some people felt it their right to comment on the changes happening to someone else's body. Per Gomez, "That got to me big time. That really messed me up for a bit."
As anyone living with a chronic illness knows (myself included), so many factors affect the body on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes, it's simply not possible to maintain a supposed "perfect" or expected weight, which is why Gomez's interview matters so much.
As a celebrity, Gomez has faced more online trolling and criticism than most, but that shouldn't be the case. Hopefully, thanks to Gomez's explanation of her health issues, people will judge others less for things they can't control.
This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.
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