Selena Gomez opened up about her body image, highlighting how her physique has changed over the last decade. On Monday (January 22), the 31-year-old singer took to her Instagram page to share a story reflecting on how her body has evolved by comparing two photographs taken 10 years apart.
Selena wrote to her 429 million followers: “Today, I realized I will never look like this again,” alongside the first image of her, which was taken in 2013 when she was 21. In the snap, the actress wore a zebra print bikini while on vacation.
Selena Gomez opened up about her body image, highlighting how her physique has changed for the last decade
The Rare Beauty founder added a second picture, this time taken last year, which showcased her vacationing in Mexico.
In this photograph, Selena wore a black, high-waisted bikini bottom with a white bikini top while climbing onto a yacht from the ocean.
This time, the songstress wrote: “I’m not perfect, but I am proud to be who I am… Sometimes, I forget it’s ok to be me.”
Selena was diagnosed with lupus in 2014, an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation and pain in different parts of the body.
According to the Lupus Foundation of America, lupus most commonly affects the skin, joints, and internal organs, such as the kidneys and heart.
Moreover, because lupus affects many parts of the body, it can cause a lot of different symptoms, including extreme fatigue, pain or swelling in the joints, headaches, and chest pain when breathing deeply.
Selena took to her Instagram page to share a story reflecting on how her body has evolved by comparing two photographs taken 10 years apart
Due to complications relating to the condition, Selena underwent a kidney transplant in 2017, followed by chemotherapy. She has since revealed that a “combination” of these medical factors can cause her to experience “weight fluctuation,” as reported by People.
As per Buzzfeed, during a podcast interview in 2019: “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.”
She reportedly said, at the time, that her fluctuations really depended on “what’s happening in [her] life” and the medication she had been taking to treat her condition.
Many people with lupus struggle with weight gain they feel is caused by prednisone, a medication that is often prescribed for treating lupus, My Lupus Team revealed.
Selena further admitted that public scrutiny over her weight had been challenging, as she said: “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.”
Selena was diagnosed with lupus in 2014, an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation and pain in different parts of the body
“That got to me big time,” she said of people’s comments about her body, before adding: “I don’t care to expose myself to everyone and hear what they have to say about it.”
According to the BBC, the Disney Channel star has been praised for how vocal she’s been about her experience with lupus and how it had impacted her body image.
In October 2023, she recalled feeling that she no longer “had a teenager’s body” during a magazine fitting. She said in an interview with Fast Company: “None of the sample sizes were fitting, and that would make me feel embarrassed.
“Although, how unrealistic is it to expect a normal woman’s body not to change?”
Following the Golden Globes in 2023, Selena addressed constant criticism regarding her body by explaining during a live stream that she tends “to hold a lot of water weight” when she’s taking certain types of medication.
She explained: “I would much rather be healthy and take care of myself.
“My medications are important, and I believe that they’re what helps me.”
Selena continued: “I just wanted to…encourage anyone out there who feels any sort of shame for exactly what they’re going through, and no one knows the real story.”
The Love You Like A Love Song hitmaker’s Instagram story comes shortly after her announcement that she would be reprising her role as Alex Russo in the forthcoming sequel series to Wizards of Waverly Place, the Disney channel show that served as her breakthrough role when she was a teen, ET reported.
“Her body does not define her talent,” a reader argued
