Selena Gomez's Body Transformation — from Being Shamed to Becoming the Face of a Sports Campaign

Selena Gomez was targeted for criticism over her weight gain after she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, and has since become an icon for fitness.

28-year-old singer and actress Selena Gomez has been a public figure since she was 10 years old. In 2012, she was diagnosed with a life-threatening autoimmune disorder.

Her chronic condition resulted in kidney failure and weight gain, and Selena found herself the target of vicious criticism on social media. Today, Selena has regained her well-being and shares her outlook on an image-obsessed society.

THE DIAGNOSIS

The young singer/actress was at the height of her fame when she was diagnosed with Lupus, a devastating autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks its own organs and tissues.

Lupus can impact the sufferer's daily life with chronic fatigue, joint pain, depression, and weight gain. For Gomez, the disease also brought kidney failure and the dire need for a transplant.

Lupus transformed Gomez's once slim figure and for the first time, she became aware of how critical social media is.

A FRIEND INDEED

In 2017, Gomez revealed that she had undergone a desperately needed kidney transplant, thanks to the generosity of her friend Francia Raisa who donated one of her kidneys to the singer.

Fans will remember Raisa best from her work in "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" and as Ana Torres in "Grown-ish," ABC's spin-off of the hit sitcom "Black-ish." During the transplant procedure, the two women underwent simultaneous surgery.

BODY CONSCIOUS

The Lupus transformed Gomez's once slim figure, and for the first time, she became aware of how critical social media is with regards to body image and how cruel it can be. Gomez admitted:

"That’s when I really started noticing more of the body image stuff (...) I really noticed when people started attacking me for that."

DEVASTATED

The comments were so cruel that, for some time, Gomez withdrew from social media. What the fans didn't know is that Gomez had also been struggling with mental health issues, depression, and anxiety disorder.

Gomez has learned to work through the hurt that the comments engendered and is happy in her own skin. Nowadays, she neither reads comments on her posts nor Googles articles about herself.

Gomez has spoken out about how the obsession with perfection and image is damaging so many young women. As she pointed out, society sets up impossible standards, and women buy into the lie. She said:

“The beauty myth — an obsession with physical perfection that traps modern woman in an endless cycle of hopelessness."

BACK IN SHAPE

Gomez is now back in shape, and in 2017, she was the face of sports brand Puma. She won back her wellness after her kidney transplant and revealed that the probabilities of her lupus recurring are 3 to 5%.

The happy and healthy Gomez has been training with celebrity trainer and wellness coach Rosoff Davis. Contrary to what some might expect, there's no obsession with the scale on Davis' watch, and she never weighs Gomez.

Davis and Gomez have been training together three to five days a week for several years now. The coach balances power training and cardio with yoga and dancing for a lighter, fun workout.

As for diet, there are no restrictions. Even though Davis favors whole foods, that doesn't mean occasional fast food or favorite treats are off the menu. For Davis, keeping healthy is all about keeping balance.

Now 28, Gomez is calm and confident. She has become active in raising awareness about Lupus and mental health issues and wants women to know that they can overcome their disorders and live their dreams. Just as she has.