Selena Gomez Shares Her Post-Surgery Scars & It's Such A Celebration of Body Love

In September 2017, Selena Gomez — who had struggled with Lupus for some time — shared that she had a kidney transplant. Along with the various personal and physical complications that can come from having a disease like Lupus (an autoimmune disease that can harm your skin, joints, organs), having a major surgery can also lead to obstacles as you mentally and physically heal.

Shedding a bit of light on that reality, Gomez took to instagram to share an adorable picture (showing off a suit from body positive bathing suit line LA’MARIETTE) and showing her scar — which she said was difficult for her to let other people see.

“When I got my kidney transplant, I remember it being very difficult at first showing my scar,” Gomez wrote. “I didn’t want it to be in photos, so I wore things that would cover it up.”

 

Bodies are complicated and our relationships to our bodies (especially when we are experiencing illness, health struggles, or need medical intervention) can be too! As one study looking at the mental health of kidney transplant patients notes, “the patient can develop a kind of emotional vulnerability with body image and self-representation disorders, or paranoid reactions to a panic crisis due to the presence of a foreign object (transplanted organ). In fact, the transplanted patient may experience a reactive psychopathologic process (depression, anxiety, dissociative disorder) both due to transplanted organ acceptance difficulties and immunosuppressive therapy complications.”

It is super common for a person to need time to figure out their own body journey after experiencing a disease like Lupus and an eventual surgery like Gomez had! While everyone’s journey and experience is unique, it’s particularly heartening to see that she’s come out of her health struggles feeling that all-too-important love for her body.

“Now, more than ever, I feel confident in who I am and what I went through…and I’m proud of that,” Gomez said. “T – Congratulations on what you’re doing for women, launching @lamariette whose message is just that…all bodies are beautiful.”

Hungry for more body positive messages? Here’s some powerful quotes to inspire positive attitudes about bodies and food:

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