Lupus claims…

I want to preface this by saying none of what I’m about to say comes from a place of hatred. So much about Selena Gomez’s private life has been pushed into public discourse whether you’re a fan or not but especially when it comes to her health, which has become a major part of her brand and public identity.

Back in 2016, Selena did an interview with GQ where she was asked about lupus. In her response, she mentioned going through leukaemia and chemotherapy. The writer later noted that they contacted her rep, who clarified she had misspoken and meant treatment for lupus. I was 16 when I read this, and I remember finding it deeply strange. Most of my family members are doctors, and when I first heard that one of my favourite Disney stars had a serious illness, I was crushed so naturally I asked them endless questions. What she described in that interview simply didn’t align with what they told me.

Fast forward to after her kidney transplant. I was again genuinely saddened by it, still carrying that nostalgia for the Selena Gomez of the Disney era. But then came pics and videos of her openly drinking, smoking, and sunbathing. If you’re not familiar with lupus, those are things you cannot do and when you’ve had a transplant, you are by definition a high-risk patient. Seeing her proudly doing everything you’re not supposed to be doing for her condition was genuinely baffling.

What pushed me to look into this further and only recently was because of the discourse surrounding Hailey and Selena since I noticed that she never seems to let go. Her family was seen commenting and liking posts on the day of Hailey’s wedding, and Selena herself posted a shady story aimed at Hailey shortly after. Another thing I noticed is that she only ever brings up her lupus when it seems to benefit her narratively. Her entire brand is built around mental health advocacy, which is admirable but it’s notable that she has never, to my knowledge, used her platform to support a lupus charity or raise awareness in any sustained way. Given how philanthropic she presents herself to be in other areas, that gap is strange.

I know speculating about someone’s medical history is a sensitive thing to do. But I think what would genuinely be worse morally is bullying an ex who also has an autoimmune disease, potentially SA’d by someone in industry, antagonising his wife, and distancing yourself from the person who donated a kidney to keep you alive. Even more so if the illness itself was never what it was presented to be, and was instead cover for something else entirely.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​