Award-winning singer and actress Selena Gomez has shared her struggles with online hate, revealing how negative comments about her appearance and personal life have taken a toll on her.

In an interview with her fiancé, the 31-year-old star spoke about the pressures women face in the entertainment industry, noting that they endure far more scrutiny than their male counterparts.

“Women have it much worse in the industry. I think from my perspective it’s pretty wild. It’s not news to anyone that women have more intense feelings, about their appearance to what they’re wearing. For me when I get prepared for an event, I just hope that I can take the picture and sit down.”
Selena Gomez

She highlighted the negative reception she received about her character in the award-winning movie Emilia Perez, stating how people criticized everything and how she indulged in looking at the online comments.

“The character gets judged; it’s the way I’m not white enough, I’m not Mexican enough, and I don’t know there are so many things that come up in my face that I can’t help but see. I fall victim to looking, and really, if doesn’t add to your life.
“It’s just so difficult from the choices of the people you date yet nobody cares when it comes to men. It’s like, yeah, ‘they did that; they said that or this’.”
Selena Gomez

Gomez also highlighted the recent overwhelming scrutiny about her weight fluctuations as a result of her battle with lupus disease.

“I just think that we carry a lot, and yeah, my weight is a big one too. Everyone just has something to see, and it’s making me sad. No, I’m not a victim, everyone, but it’s making me a tad bitter. I feel guilty for saying that it’s true.
“I’m just happy that I take breaks completely at times, but I’m human, and sometimes I read things. But most of the time, I ignore these things. There are ways to combat it. It’s not like I hate social media; I understand the power that it has. So it’s tricky.”
Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez on Baggage from Her Past Relationship

The singer and actor is currently winning hearts with her new album, ‘I Said I Love You First’, alongside fiancé Benny Blanco.

In a podcast discussion, the singer and actor spoke about the baggage from her past relationships and how her fiancé helped her navigate it, teaching her to trust again.

Reflecting on her past relationships and being single for a long time, Selena Gomez recalled how reactive she became.

“I think, for me, I necessarily felt like in other situations of mine, I was very reactive. I think that’s why I was alone for five years because I really needed to collect myself. I think in the past, that’s why I say to him all the time, ten years ago, it’s not that I wouldn’t have wanted to be with you.
“I just wouldn’t have been in the right headspace, and I don’t think that you deserved what I had gone through before. So, I’ve learned a lot of lessons, and I’ve made mistakes, and… I just want this to be right.”
Selena Gomez

Selena further revealed that in the past, she struggled with the need to always be right, something she believes many women can relate to. However, Blanco has made things “unbelievably easy” for her, especially in moments of frustration.

She explained that when she reaches a point of agitation, he is quick to acknowledge her feelings, often reassuring her with phrases like, “I hear you, you’re allowed to feel that.”

This approach, she added, has helped shift her mindset, moving her away from the anger she once felt in similar situations.

Selena Gomez also shared how Benny taught her to trust again, saying, “I think, you know, it’s very hard for me.”

“And like Benny said, in the beginning, it was very difficult for me to take trips away. It just makes me feel… once I understood and got to know him, and I wasn’t afraid to tell him, like, ‘Hey, I just want to make sure—it’s not that I don’t trust you—can you just text me before you go to your next thing?’ And I was able to do that with him, and he wasn’t combative, he wasn’t like, ‘Why don’t you trust me?’
“It was just like, ‘Yeah, I could totally do that.’ And with that, day by day, I feel more and more open… and we’re going to be separated again while I go shoot in New York, and yeah, I’m ready for it. I think it’s doable, but it’s not fun. Basically, he taught me to trust again.”
Selena Gomez

Selena and Benny officially announced their engagement after dating for six months. The couple shared the joyous news with fans by posting a series of photos on Instagram on 11 December 2024, where the singer and actor was seen flaunting her engagement ring.