Selena Gomez has shared the intense toll paparazzi photos from her trip to Sydney in 2018 had on her.
The 31-year-old artist visited the Harbour City in March of that year while she was on her Stars Dance Tour, and during her downtime she was photographed relaxing on a yacht in a bikini.
Selena recalled internet trolls had a field day over the photos of her baring scars from her 2017 kidney transplant surgery and her naturally-changing shape as she began to enter her mid 20s.
Speaking to Fast Company, the former Disney prodigy discussed the immense pressure she felt due to the online scrutiny.
Gomez says she was made aware of criticism to the paparazzi photos, and broke her social media break to call out society’s unachievable beauty standards.
Selena Gomez has shared the intense emotional toll paparazzi photos from her trip to Sydney in 2018 had on her. Pictured
The 31-year-old artist visited the Harbour City in March of that year while she was on her Stars Dance Tour, and during her downtime she was photographed relaxing on a yacht in a bikini
‘The beauty myth — an obsession with physical perfection that traps modern woman in an endless cycle of hopelessness, self-consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfil society’s impossible definition of flawless beauty,’ she explained.
Gomez told the outlet she had already been grappling with body image issues after going through an uncomfortable photoshoot fitting, where she realised she no longer had a ‘teenager’s body’.
‘None of the sample sizes were fitting, and that would make me feel embarrassed,’ she explained.
‘Although, how unrealistic is it to expect a normal woman’s body not to change?’
Selena recalled internet trolls had a field day over paparazzi photos of her baring scars from her 2017 kidney transplant surgery and her naturally-changing shape as she began to enter her mid 20s
Gomez says she was made aware of criticism to the paparazzi photos, and broke her social media break to call out society’s unachievable beauty standards
‘There were those moments of not feeling positive about how I looked because of what I’d see on Instagram. ‘Wow, I wish my body looked like that’.’
The artist, known for her unfeigned openness regarding her mental health, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2020.
‘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,’ she told the publication.
‘The beauty myth — an obsession with physical perfection that traps modern woman in an endless cycle of hopelessness, self-consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfil society’s impossible definition of flawless beauty,’ she explained
Gomez told the outlet that she had already been grappling with body image issues after going through an uncomfortable photoshoot fitting, where she realised she no longer had a ‘teenager’s body’
‘I would want to cancel things. It was just a tormented feeling.
‘That’s why, when I found out my [bipolar] 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.’
‘None of the sample sizes were fitting, and that would make me feel embarrassed,’ she explained. ‘Although, how unrealistic is it to expect a normal woman’s body not to change?’
