Selena Gomez reveals she ‘lied’ about being affected by body-shaming comments

‘I don’t think that anybody deserves to feel less than’

Selena Gomez has spoken candidly about the body-shaming comments she’s received online and revealed that she cried her “eyes out” when reading them.

The 30-year-old shared her thoughts about social media, as the most-followed woman on Instagram, during Friday’s episode of the Apple TV+ docuseries, Dear…Throughout her career, Gomez has used her platforms, including her TikTok, to send messages about self-love and body positivity, despite what trolls would say about her appearance online.

On the new episode of the Apple TV show, she spoke about how her weight “would constantly fluctuate,” since she was on different medications due to her lupus, an inflammatory disease that affects the immune system. She then noted that as those changes were going on, people were quick to make comments about her body.

“People just ran with it,” Gomez said. “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.”

The “Rare” singer then confessed that while she said online that the body-shaming remarks didn’t bother her, it was actually the opposite.

“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,” she explained, in response to the criticism. “All the while being in the room posting that, crying my eyes out, because nobody deserves to hear those things.”

“I was posting these things, saying it doesn’t bother me because I didn’t want it to bother other people who are experiencing the same thing, getting shamed for what they look like, who they are, who they love. I just think it’s so unfair. I don’t think that anybody deserves to feel less than.”

This isn’t the first time that Gomez has opened up about how her body has been impacted by lupus, which she was diagnosed with in 2014. During a TikTok live last month, she shared a candid response to body-shamers who’ve made comments about her appearance. In the video, she explained that when on her medication, she “tends to hold a lot of water weight”.

“When I’m off of it, I tend to lose weight,” the Only Murders in the Building star said. “I just wanted to say and encourage anyone out there who feels any sort of shame for exactly what they’re going through, and no one knows the real story.”

She went on to remind her fans that they are “beautiful” and “wonderful,” before emphasising how important her medication is.

Earlier this week, Gomez sent a message to her fans about mental health and encouraged them to be kinder to those around them. In the comment section of her recent TikTok, she said that her “heart has been heavy”.

After telling her fans that she loved them, she wrote: “I’m deeply grateful for each and every one of you humans. You make me unbelievably happy.”

In a second comment, the “Who Says” singer added: “Please, please be kinder and consider others’ mental health. My heart has been heavy and I only want good for everyone. All my love.”