Selena Gomez has opened up about the severe effects that the paparazzi pictures from her 2018 trip to Sydney had on her.
During her break from her Stars Dance Tour, the 31-year-old performer stopped by Harbour City in March of that year and was captured on camera lounging on a boat while wearing a bikini.
Selena remembered how photographs of her bare scars from her 2017 kidney transplant surgery and her naturally shifting figure as she approached her mid-20s gave internet bullies a field day.
The former Disney prodigy talked about the intense strain she felt from the internet scrutiny in an interview with Fast Company.
Gomez claims that after learning of the backlash against the paparazzi images, she decided to take a hiatus from social media to criticize society’s unrealistic ideals of beauty.
She described “the beauty myth” as a preoccupation with physical perfection that keeps modern women stuck in a never-ending cycle of self-loathing, self-consciousness, and self-hatred as they strive to meet society’s unrealistic standards for flawless beauty.
Gomez said to the publication that she had previously been struggling with her body image during an awkward photo shoot fitting, during which she realized her physique was no longer that of a “teenager.”
She said, “It would make me feel embarrassed that none of the sample sizes fit.”
“However, is it really realistic to expect the body of a normal woman to remain the same?”
“There were times when I would look at pictures on Instagram and think, ‘Wow, I wish my body looked like that,'” making me feel bad about how I looked.
In 2020, the artist—who was renowned for her candid disclosure about her mental state—was given a bipolar disorder diagnosis.
“I had a really difficult season.” She told the publication, “It was my highs and lows, and I didn’t know what to do, so I couldn’t control it.”
“I would like to postpone things.” It was merely a tortured sensation.
Because of this, my reaction upon learning that I had bipolar disorder was simply, “Oh, okay, I feel a bit relieved, I understand a bit more.”
I obtained second views. I visited a doctor. I have the good fortune to have individuals in my life that can support me on a daily basis.
