Selena Gomez has opened up about her body image struggles, therapy, relationship with Benny Blanco and health battles in a wide-ranging new Allure cover story.
The singer and actress, 33, admitted that negative remarks about her weight have always been particularly painful.
‘I got stung by a person saying I was fat. Why is that [emotion] coming up?’ the actress, whose recent weight loss sparked Ozempic rumors despite her previously saying health issues caused the fluctuations, said. ‘I’ve dealt with a lot of weight issues in my life, and that’s something I’m very sensitive to.’
Selena Gomez explained that dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) helped her unpack those feelings, tracing them back to times when her health caused weight fluctuations.
‘Oh, now I understand, that’s stemming from that one time when I was going through some medical stuff and I had gained weight….’ she added. ‘You just definitely have to be willing to do the work, and that part can be tricky.’
The Only Murders in the Building star also spoke about her romance with producer Benny Blanco, 36, saying the timing of their relationship was crucial.
‘I don’t think I would have been remotely mature enough,’ she admitted. ‘It’s weird to think that only five years ago I wouldn’t have been in the right place, but I’ve learned so many lessons [since then] that led me to being the best partner I could be for Benny. And I believe the same with him.’
Selena Gomez revealed Blanco sometimes laments the time they lost.
‘He’ll say, “Gosh, why did we waste so much time?” And I always say, “You wouldn’t have liked me back then. I was all over the place.”
But now, Selena Gomez describes him as ‘one of the most grounding people in my life, and he makes me feel very normal.’
Away from her personal life, the Rare Beauty founder said she remains focused on the present.
‘I am going to be in this moment. And who knows, in a couple years I could be done, and that’s fine. I just need to make sure that while I’m here, I do the best I can.’
Part of that focus includes taking regular breaks from Instagram, where she is the third most-followed person in the world.
‘I want to feel content in whatever position I’m at in my life, and I want to be present,’ she explained. ‘I finally feel like I’m in a place where I don’t need to be apologetic for every single thing that I do.’
Selena Gomez also addressed her ongoing battle with lupus, which led to chemotherapy in 2013 and a kidney transplant in 2017.
‘I deal with a lot of [dexterity issues] myself, and it can get frustrating,’ she said. ‘Even just popping open a can can hurt.’
The star’s 2022 documentary My Mind & Me also captured her diagnosis with bipolar disorder.
Looking back, she said, ‘I’m very glad it came out, but that’s not necessarily who I am now. To be honest, I can’t watch it. But it’s only because I’m not there anymore.’
As she gets older, Selena Gomez says her ‘group has gotten a lot smaller.’
In the documentary, she also revealed she would cry her ‘eyes out’ over cruel comments about her fluctuating weight.
‘My weight would constantly fluctuate because I would be on certain medications. And obviously, people just ran with it,’ she said. ‘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.’
‘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,’ Selena Gomez continued. ‘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.’
In January 2023, the Rare Beauty founder shut down more body shaming comments she received after attending the Golden Globes.
In an Instagram Live, the The Wizards of Waverly Place alum said to her half-sister Gracie: ‘I’m a little bit big right now, because I enjoyed myself during the holidays, right?’
Gracie appeared to agree before Gomez added, ‘But we don’t care.’
In a 2018 social media post, Selena called out ‘the beauty myth’ following some unflattering photos.
‘I chose to take care of myself because I want to, not to prove anything to anyone,’ she wrote at the time.