How Selena Gomez Embraces and Inspires Body Positivity

Selena Gomez is a big deal in the entertainment business. Her music and acting have wowed viewers, and she has also become a powerful voice for body positivity. For many, including me, her road to self-acceptance in the face of public scrutiny is an example to follow.

In a sincere confession, Gomez shared, "I was getting a lot of hate for my body and ‘you’re gaining weight’ and so I was in Mexico and I was just feeling all of this stuff and I would be lying to you if I said it didn’t kind of hurt my feelings, but I kind of channelled that into my music." These words really hit home, showing how raw the feelings were that led to the constant criticism she had to deal with. Gomez didn't give in to negativity. Instead, she turned her pain into music and used it as a way to deal with the problems she was having. Album Revival's songs like "Survivors," "Kill Em With Kindness," and "Rise" became her battle cry against mean people online. "It's all geared towards me trying to be heard," she boldly said, stressing how important it was for her to find her voice in hard times. Going through her record freed her up. At the time, she called it "the best thing I've ever done in my whole career."

Gomez doesn't just talk about loving yourself through her music, though. Her social media posts, like "I love being happy with me yall #theresmoretolove" and "Bitch, I am perfect the way I am," show that she is sure of herself and doesn't care what other people think about her looks. In her honest statement, "It was about how I embraced it," Gomez shows how open she is about her flaws. And that's just how I do things."

One of the most moving parts was when Gomez looked at beach photos from 2013 and 2023 and thought about how her body had changed. She was honest on Instagram: "Today, I realised I will never look like this again." She also said she was proud of who she is now: "I'm not perfect, but I am proud to be who I am. Sometimes I forget it's OK to be me." This raw honesty and kindness towards oneself are so moving and teach us all that beauty lies in accepting ourselves as we are.

I'm aware of how strong we can be when we let down our guard and how important it is to accept our flaws as they are. Her strength in the face of criticism is a reflection that we are more than what we seem to be. May we all have the strength to love ourselves without any guilt, just like Gomez did, and encourage others to do the same.

Thank you to Selena Gomez for always being herself. I hope this story helps you on your own path to self-acceptance and body positive.

Ending this blog post with a motivational video of Gomez sharing her personal struggle in a recent interview and how she is standing up for herself.

Keep shining brightly,

Komal Gupta.