Selena Gomez is living her best life on a yacht somewhere off the coast of Australia sans Justin Bieber ― the on-again, off-again couple are reportedly off again ― and people still won’t leave her alone.
After the “Wolves” singer was photographed in her bikini over the weekend, the body shaming began almost immediately. The response was even more disappointing than usual, considering that Gomez has been open about complications from a kidney transplant last year that left her with what she described as an “obtrusion that will be there forever.”
The former Disney star seemingly hit back at the body shamers with a powerful video post on Instagram Monday that dismantled “the beauty myth” and revealed she’s taking time to focus on herself.
“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 fulfill society’s impossible definition of flawless beauty,” Gomez captioned a video of herself and friends enjoying the sun Down Under. “I chose to take care of myself because I want to, not to prove anything to anyone. Wind in her sails. 🌈💜”
Her post apparently struck a chord with friend Amy Schumer ― Gomez made a cameo on the third season of her Comedy Central series ― and the comedian reposted the message on her own page.
“I am inspired by Selena and my friends and women everyday daring to just feel good,” Schumer wrote in the caption. “No striving for another version of yourself. Let’s love ourselves today. Just how we are.”
Since revealing her surgery for a kidney transplant, Gomez has opened up about her changing relationship with her body, especially when it comes to accepting her surgical scar.
“It was really hard in the beginning. I remember looking at myself in the mirror completely naked and thinking about all the things that I used to bitch about and just asking, “Why?” Gomez told Billboard about becoming comfortable with the scar. “I had someone in my life for a very long time who pointed out all the things that I didn’t feel great about with myself. When I look at my body now, I just see life. There are a million things I can do ― lasers and creams and all that stuff ― but I’m OK with it.”