Selena Gomez says reading negative comments about her weight after she was diagnosed with lupus "really messed [her] up for a bit."
During an interview on her friend Raquelle Stevens’ video podcast "Giving Back Generation," the singer said the body-shaming attacks on social media increased after her illness.
“I have lupus and deal with kidney issues and high blood pressure, so I deal with a lot of health issues, and for me that’s when I really started noticing more of the body image stuff,” explained Gomez, who received a kidney transplant in 2017.
The singer said “weight fluctuation” is one of the side effects of the medication she takes.
“It’s the medication I have to take for the rest of my life -- it depends on even the month, to be honest,” she said. “So for me, I really noticed when people started attacking me for that. And in reality, that’s just my truth. I fluctuate. It depends what’s happening in my life.”
(MORE: Selena Gomez makes rare appearance on social media looking happy and healthy)
Gomez, 27, added that the negative comments she received online “got to me big time,” admitting, “That really messed me up for a bit.”
But she said she's “very happy with living my life” in the present and not exposing herself to negativity online.
In other Gomez news, she joined her pal Julia Michaels for a surprise duet of "Anxiety" during Michaels' "Inner Monologue" tour stop in Los Angeles Monday night. The performance marked the first time they've performed the song together for a live audience.
