The Complicated Reason Selena Gomez's Face Looks So Different Now Proves Why We Need To Stop Commenting On People's Looks
The constant scrutiny Gomez receives highlights the reality that we never know what someone could be going through.
Tinseltown, BAKOUNINE / Shutterstock Following the premiere of season 3 of the Hulu series "Only Murders in the Building," Selena Gomez, who stars in the true-crime-inspired drama, has found herself involved in various rumors that she had work done to her face.
Gomez has been the subject of plastic surgery rumors for several years now as many fans have begun noticing significant changes that are affecting her face. Many of these comments made toward Gomez's appearance often shame and bash her for how much her face and body have changed throughout her years in the spotlight.
However, the "Come & Get It" singer has been extremely vocal about how she has been struggling with an autoimmune disease since 2014, and that receiving these body-shaming remarks from the media and fans doesn't help at all.
Selena Gomez has been open about her battle with lupus and the hurtful comments she's received in the media.
Throughout her lupus journey and eventual kidney transplant due to complications from the illness in 2017, Gomez has been vocal with her fans about her day-to-day struggles with having such an intense autoimmune disease.
"I knew I had an autoimmune disease, it was just my body fighting itself on the inside,” Gomez said during a March 2023 episode of the Apple TV+ series "Dear..."
"And that was the most surreal part because I had never felt fatigue, I was young, I felt completely fine. So hearing from a doctor that, ‘Oh, you could’ve had a stroke onstage, you could’ve died,’ it was a lot.”
During that same episode, Gomez also opened up about the slew of body-shaming comments she has received due to her weight fluctuating because of her lupus medication.
"My weight would constantly fluctuate because I would be on certain medications. And obviously, people just ran with it," she revealed. "It was like they couldn't wait to find a thing to bring me down. I was being shamed for gaining weight because of my lupus."
Gomez continued, explaining that while she usually will take to social media and tell her fans that she was unfazed by the criticism and to express kindness when speaking about something that someone could be going through, the actress admitted that she would often cry when she was alone.
"I lied. I would go online and I would post a picture of myself and I would say, 'It doesn't matter. I'm not accepting what you're saying,'" Gomez said. "All the while, being in the room posting and crying my eyes out because nobody deserves to hear those things."
"Though I was posting these things saying it doesn't bother me, because I didn't want it to bother other people who are experiencing the same thing, getting shamed for what they look like, who they are, who they love," she added. "I just think it's so unfair. I don't think that anybody deserves to feel less than."
Gomez's battle with lupus and the changes it brings proves that we need to stop commenting on people's appearances.
Commenting on someone's looks and accusing them of having plastic surgery, whether it's a celebrity or not, especially when they are actually suffering from a medical condition such as lupus, is not only insensitive but also deeply hurtful and unfair.
The constant scrutiny and criticism that Gomez faces highlights a wider issue that exists within our society — a tendency to place immense importance on how someone looks while completely disregarding the emotional journey that individuals might be going through.
While Gomez has been an inspiration to anyone who may be suffering from lupus, or just going through changes with their body that may be affecting their confidence, the depths of her struggles prove that we never know what someone is going through.
The fact that Gomez even has to explain why she's gained weight and that her face has changed because of her lupus is ridiculous in itself. She shouldn't have to owe anyone answers about her own personal medical conditions.
"[When I'm taking lupus medication, I] tend to hold a lot of water weight, and that happens very normally. When I'm off of it, I tend to lose weight," Gomez informed her fans during the episode of "Dear..." "I just wanted to say and encourage anyone out there who feels any sort of shame for exactly what they're going through, and no one knows the real story."
Gomez's words echo a universal truth: No one deserves to be subjected to hurtful comments and body-shaming, regardless of their circumstances. We must remember everyone is waging some kind of battle that we might not be able to fully understand.
Instead, as the next few episodes of "Only Murders in the Building" premiere, we should focus more on who killed Paul Rudd's character Ben (seriously, Meryl Streep AKA Loretta is looking more suspicious now), and less on what might be happening to Gomez's appearance.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.