Selena Gomez is one of the world's biggest popstars and is currently the fifth most followed person in the world. So it is, unfortunately, an inevitability that she has to deal with negative comments on social media. In a conversation with her friend Raquelle Stevens (below) on the Giving Back Generation podcast, Selena was very open and candid about how the negativity has affected her – especially when it comes to her weight and body image, which can change frequently because of her health conditions.
"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. No, [the lupus doesn't affect my weight]; it’s the combination of all of it – it’s the medication I have to take for the rest of my life and it depends on even the month, to be honest.
"So for me, I really noticed when people started attacking me for that. In reality, that's just my truth. I fluctuate. It depends what’s happening in my life. Right [it’s totally out of my control], and that got to me big time. I think for me, that really messed me up for a bit."
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Selena also spoke about having a healthy relationship with social media when it can be a toxic place and a breeding ground for comparison. "When I make an effort to post on social media or do what I'm doing, it's important for me to make sure it 100 per cent authentic and once I post it, I post it. That's it."
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She continued: "I see so many beautiful girls and amazing different characters and then they're just demolished by an image that they're trying to chase. They're wanting to be a completely different person but that’s not what’s inside of them, you know? But I get it. I look at other people's pages – or I used to – and I'm like, okay, 'I need to fix myself'."
She finished up by saying something that we could all do with hearing right now: "They can look good and you can look good accepting yourself the way that you are."
Hear, hear!