Selena Gomez has always been in the public eye, frequently facing online scrutiny.
This week, however, she chose to take a stand against particularly nasty body-shaming comments that emerged after the premiere of her new film, “Emilia Pérez,” at the American French Film Festival in Los Angeles.
The singer and actress addressed the negativity with an impassioned response on social media, emphasizing her focus on health rather than societal beauty standards.
In photos from the glamorous event, the singer and actress wore a chic black that came complete with a high slit and long sleeves. She was, however, body-shamed on her appearance, suggesting that her pose, which involved holding her hands up over her torso, indicated she was trying to hide her body from view.
Gomez immediately responded, expressing her frustration with the level of speculation about her body. “This makes me sick,” she stated firmly. She went on to explain her health struggles, mentioning her condition: “I have SEBO in my small intestine. It flares up. I don’t care that I don’t look like a stick figure. I don’t have that body. End of story. No I am NOT a victim. I’m just human.”
In her reply, Gomez highlighted the challenges associated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, commonly referred to as SEBO. As detailed by the Mayo Clinic, this condition can significantly affect one’s digestive health, leading to symptoms such as bloating, stomach pain, and difficulties in processing food.
Gomez’s openness about her health problems is a testament to her resilience, having previously disclosed her lupus diagnosis and her kidney transplant in 2017.
Gomez has consistently been candid about her body and the impact her health conditions have on her appearance. In a TikTok Live session earlier this year, Gomez discussed how her body changes in accordance with her health, underscoring the importance of prioritizing well-being over societal beauty standards.
“I tend to hold a lot of water weight and that happens very normally, and then when I’m off it I tend to kind of lose weight,” she said. “I just wanted to say and encourage anyone out there who feels any sort of shame for exactly what [you’re] going through, [when] nobody knows the real story… you’re beautiful and you’re wonderful.”
