American actress and singer, Selena Gomez, admitted that criticism made online regarding her appearance has affected her mental health, leading to feelings of bitterness and uncertainty.
Gomez appeared alongside her fiancé, Benny Blanco, on Jay Shetty’s podcast On Purpose, addressing the ongoing negative remarks spewed online about her.
Despite trying not to engage with such nasty posts, Gomez acknowledged that it’s difficult to ignore them entirely, admitting she’s only “human”.
The pop star said: “[I try not to look at comments but] so many different things that come up in my face, that I can’t help but see … I fall victim to looking at things.”
Beyond the body-shaming, she also addressed the double standards prevalent in our society.
“It doesn’t add anything to your life. It’s just so difficult from the choices, the people you date. It’s like nobody cares about that stuff with men.”
The 32-year-old has previously confirmed that being diagnosed with lupus results in weight fluctuations, which have been a major reason for the online bullying and trolling she faces.
She said in the podcast, “My weight’s a big one too. Everybody just has something to say and it’s really making me sad. Not even sad—no I’m not a victim—but I think it’s made me a tad bitter.”
“And I feel really guilty for saying that. But it’s true.”
She also reflected on the unrealistic expectations women are required to meet:
“’This isn’t news to anybody that obviously women have a lot more intense feelings about their appearance.”
“When I get prepared for an event, 90 per cent of the time I’m just like: “I just hope I can take the picture and sit down”.
Apart from the body-shaming struggles, she also shares the identity challenges she had to face throughout her career, often being judged as a result of unrealistic expectations placed on her because of her ethnicity.
She added, “It’s the character that gets judged. It’s the way I’m not White enough. I’m not Mexican enough. There’s just so many different things that come up in my face that I just can’t help but see.”
However, Gomez says she has now learned to deal with the negativity and knows when to take a break from social media.
She explained, “But I do, most of the time, ignore everything. I don’t have anything on my phone at that moment. So, there are ways to combat it.”
Despite all the negativity she remains committed to prioritizing her health.
She says, “I would rather be healthy and take care of myself. My medications are important, and I believe that they’re what helps me.”
“Not a model, never will be. And I think they’re awesome, mind you. I’m just definitely not that.”
Through it all, she greatly appreciated Blanco for being a great source of support and uplifting her.
“He’s the one person… when you’re saying those nice things to me, babe, I believe him.”
Despite the online scrutiny and pressures, Gomez, along with her fiancé’s support, has found ways to navigate the negativity, prioritizing her mental well-being. She has learnt to take a step back when needed, inspiring others to do the same. In a world full of judgment, we all have a role to play in reducing negativity by being more mindful of our online comments.
Watch the Podcast here:
