Selena Gomez, singer and actor, has had a “Rare” influence on her fans, following, and rest of the world through her journey. While she is still a singing phenomenon, she makes it a point to promote both physical and mental health positivity in every way possible.
In a recent interview with Fast Company, she talked about how after having surgery to treat her lupus, people made fun of her appearance.
She recalls believing she no longer “had a teenager’s body” when she was 24 and was at a magazine fitting, which made her feel self-conscious.
“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?” the 31 year old singer said.
The singer was diagnosed with Lupus in 2014 and subsequently underwent a kidney transplant and chemotherapy. It was a few months later when she was photographed in a bikini with her surgery scars, during vacationing in Australia that people started trolling her all over social media.
Additionally, the pop sensation was still grieving over her breakup from singer Justin Bieber at that time. “I had just gotten my heart broken, I didn’t need to see what everyone was doing,” she said.
With all the anguish she was already feeling, her battle with her body image became overwhelming.
Selena previously acknowledged that a social media detox had made her feel less anxious, and she also said that in 2017 she had given her assistant her social media passwords.
But a year later, when the ‘Rare’ singer experienced a psychosis, had to enter into a treatment facility, and was identified with bipolar disorder, things took a bad turn for her.
“I went through a really hard season. It was my highs and my lows, and I didn’t know what to do, so I couldn’t control it. I would want to cancel things. It was just a tormented feeling,” she recalled.
“That’s why, when I found out my diagnosis, it was just, ‘Oh, okay, I feel a bit relieved, I understand a bit more.’ I got second opinions. I went to doctors. I’m fortunate enough to be able to have people who can help me survive every day,” she further said.
Selena has since been quite transparent in sharing her story with others in an effort to support those going through similar difficulties.
She established the Rare Impact Fund to address the pressing challenges of self-acceptance and mental health. To be able to assist individuals in need, it hopes to raise $100 million over the following ten years. In addition, she published a documentary titled “My Mind & Me” in which she discussed her own struggles with mental illness.
