Selena Gomez is addressing critics who have targeted her for sharing her personal struggles, including her inability to carry children and her experience with bipolar disorder.
In response to the backlash, Gomez delivered a strong message, advocating for vulnerability and self-acceptance, while also telling her critics to “kindly f*** off.”
“I truly believe there is power in being vulnerable and telling people when you need help or when you want help — that is not shameful,” the Emmy-nominated star said in a viral video taken at a Women in Film dinner in Beverly Hills. “So yeah, I shared that I can’t carry a child. Yeah, I shared that I have bipolar. Screw off. That’s what my life is. That’s who I am,” she added.
This comes just over a week after the 32-year-old star, who has been dating music producer Benny Blanco for some time now, opened up about her medical history in a September 9 interview with Vanity Fair. She revealed she won’t be able to give birth to her own children due to medical issues, as it would “jeopardise both her life and the baby’s.”
Gomez stressed the importance of advocating for women by sharing personal experiences, believing that honesty is key because everyone faces their own struggles. “I’m not a, you know, whatever. I am me, and that’s all I can be,” she stated, acknowledging that she doesn’t have all the answers.
“Do not ever let anyone tell you that you are not a good person,” the Love On singer said during the dinner, which she attended with her younger sister, Gracie Teefey, 11. “Screw anyone who tells you you’re a victim. You’re a survivor in my book,” she added, at times speaking directly to Gracie while addressing the group of women.
Diagnosed with lupus years ago and having undergone a kidney transplant in 2017, Gomez reflected on her medical history, admitting to Vanity Fair that it was something she “had to grieve for a while.”
After disclosing that carrying a child could risk both her life and the baby’s, she shared, “It’s not necessarily how I envisioned it. I thought it would unfold like it does for everyone else. But I’m in a much better place now. I see it as a blessing that there are amazing options like surrogacy and adoption, both of which are significant possibilities for me.”
Despite her health challenges, Gomez, who currently shares a ‘very healthy’ relationship with Benny Blanco, remains determined to start a family. She has expressed her desire to become a mother and is exploring options like surrogacy and adoption to achieve that dream.
“I find it a blessing that there are wonderful people willing to do surrogacy or adoption, which are both huge possibilities for me,” she said. “It made me really thankful for the other outlets for people who are dying to be mums. I’m one of those people.”
