Selena Gomez must take medication regularly to reduce the pain caused by chronic lupus.

Selena Gomez recently opened a livestream on TikTok and attracted attention when she frankly responded to comments calling her fat. 

The 30-year-old singer-actress revealed that lupus treatment caused her weight to fluctuate drastically: 

“When I take medication (for lupus), my body tends to retain more water and (weight gain) happens very normally. When I don’t take medication, I lose weight. I just want to say this and encourage people like me out there.” 

Selena Gomez in a recent livestream

Lupus not only causes physical pain but also damages Gomez’s mental health. However, the Love You Like A Love Song singer always tries to be optimistic:

“I just want to let everyone know that you are beautiful and that you are amazing. Yes, (patients like) us have days where we feel bad***, but I always want to be healthy and take care of myself first. Medication is very important to me and I believe they are helping me.” 

In particular, Selena Gomez noted that “I’m not a model and I never will be” before ending the video with a message to fans and anti-fans:  

“I love you (fans), thank you for your support and understanding. And if not, then go away, because honestly, I don’t support making fun of other people’s bodies for any reason.” 

Gomez was diagnosed with lupus – a chronic autoimmune disease that often leads to swelling, fatigue and joint pain – in 2014. In the documentary  My Mind & Me , Gomez became emotional when describing the disease: 

“Now it just hurts (usually). But every morning I wake up and cry because of the pain, everything in my body hurts.” 

To deal with the pain, Gomez must use an intravenous drug called Rituxan. Before taking the new drug, Gomez tried treating her lupus symptoms with chemotherapy.