Selena Gomez, who frequently speaks out about her struggles with social media trolls and her life in the public eye, is another advocate to add to the list. During an interview on On Purpose with Jay Shetty Podcast, Gomez got candid about her Internet usage. She confessed to the fact that every once in a while she still Googles herself when she knows it adds no value to her life. Rather than shy away from the vitriol, she’s made her peace with it, embracing the reach of social media while conceding the double-edged sword in doing so.
In fact, Gomez explained that public scrutiny tends to make her more anxious, particularly when it comes time to pose for pictures or walk a red carpet. Interestingly, she talked about how her ethnicity is always what people want to judge her on.
"It's the character that gets judged, it's the way I'm not white enough, I'm not Mexican enough," said Gomez.
Her experiences battling harmful stigma associated with being overweight are exacerbated by her ongoing battle with chronic autoimmune disease lupus. Additionally, the medications she takes to keep lupus at bay make her gain and lose weight quickly. This combined challenge has met tremendous criticism on the internet. Advocating for what’s next Despite this, Gomez continues to be candid about her condition and its impact on her life.
Benny Blanco, her fiancé, doesn’t pay attention to the internet trolls on Gomez’s lifestyle. He’s completely unconcerned with what other people think of her. His encouragement gives Gomez both comfort and confidence as she enters the intoxicating yet unforgiving world of social media.
Gomez understands the special pressures women face under the microscope. She notes that women are hyper aware to how they look and how they’re perceived.
"From my perspective it's pretty wild, and I think this isn't news to anybody, that obviously women have a lot more intense feelings from their appearance to what they're wearing to everything,” Gomez explained.
Though these betrayals have been hard, Gomez has had to learn how to deal with the online vitriol that follows her. She sometimes takes breaks from social media to protect her mental health, understanding that ignoring negative comments is essential for her well-being.
"I had to stop after a while, and I still take breaks completely because I'm human, so of course sometimes I read things, but I do most of the time ignore most of everything," she stated.
