Selena Gomez gives befitting reply to online trolls: 'Not a victim'

Selena Gomez is once again standing up to body shamers. 

Despite facing cruel comments about her weight, the 32-year-old actress and singer remains proud of her body and all it has endured.

A source close to Gomez revealed to Life and Style magazine, "Selena loves her body, and after everything that it's been through, she refuses to let anyone make her feel differently." 

This unwavering self-acceptance was put to the test when the Single Soon crooner appeared on the red carpet for the American French Film Festival in Los Angeles on October 29.

In response to hurtful comments about her weight in a since-deleted TikTok video, she set the record straight. "This makes me sick. I have SIBO in my small intestine. It flares up," she wrote, referencing her struggles with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, which causes gas, bloating, and abdominal pain.

Her message was clear: she won't tolerate body shaming. "I don't care that I don't look like a stick figure. I don't have that body. End of story. No, I am NOT a victim. I'm just human." 

This isn't the Who Says singer's first experience with health issues and online scrutiny. 

In 2017, she underwent a kidney transplant due to lupus-related organ damage. When photographed in a bikini the following year, trolls targeted her for not having the same physique as before her surgery, despite her visible scar.

Undeterred, the singer shared an empowering video from the trip, smiling and enjoying time with friends. 

Her caption moved many fans: "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. I chose to take care of myself because I want to, not to prove anything to anyone. Wind in her sails."

In January, the Only Murders in the Building actress reflected on her body's changes over the years, sharing two contrasting photos. 

The first, taken at 21, showed her in a bikini; the second, taken ten years later, showcased her curvier figure. "Today I realized I will never look like this again… I'm not perfect, but I am proud to be who I am … Sometimes I forget it's OK to be me," she wrote.