Selena Gomez Claps Back at Body Shamers as She Reveals New Health Diagnosis

"This makes me sick."

Selena Gomez wears a bright pink suit jacket in 2023
(Image credit: Michael Buckner/Billboard via Getty Images)

Selena Gomez is taking a stand against online body shamers who criticized her appearance at the premiere of Emilia Pérez at the American French Film Festival in Los Angeles.

Gomez stars alongside Zoë Saldaña in the forthcoming Spanish-language musical, which will debut on Netflix on November 13.

For the film's premiere on October 29, Gomez wore a black Carolina Herrera dress, featuring long sleeves, a high leg slit, and an asymmetrical neckline, per WWD. She accessorized the dress with black pumps and diamond drop earrings.

Following the event, Gomez commented on a TikTok video, which has since been deleted, the Daily Mail reported. Commenters reportedly criticized Gomez's appearance and suggested that the singer's pose, which saw her occasionally placing her hands over her stomach, had some special significance.

Selena Gomez wears a long black dress with a high leg slit and matching black pumps to attend The French American Film Festival Opening Night Premiere of Netflix's Emilia Perez on October 29, 2024 in Los Angeles, California

Selena Gomez at the premiere of Emilia Perez.

(Image credit: Getty Images/Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

"This makes me sick," the Only Murders in the Building star wrote in her comment. "I have SEBO [SIBO] in my small intestine. It flares up. 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."

According to the Mayo Clinic, SIBO is an abbreviation for "small intestinal bacterial overgrowth." The condition means that a person's intestines don't absorb fats, carbohydrates and proteins efficiently, which can lead to damage in the body. SIBO can also cause weakened bones (osteoporosis), vitamin deficiency, and kidney stones.

Gomez also lives with the autoimmune condition lupus, for which she underwent chemotherapy and a kidney transplant.

Selena Gomez wears a long sleeved black dress to premiere of Emilia Perez

Selena Gomez at the premiere of Emilia Perez.

(Image credit: River Callaway/Variety via Getty Images)

Discussing her role in Emilia Perez, Gomez told the BBC, "When I read it and understood it I was like, 'How on earth are they going to make this movie?" She continued, "But we never doubted him ever," she said of director Jacques Audiard.

Gomez plays Jessi Del Monte, the wife of a cartel leader, in the movie. "I knew I had to embody this other person," Gomez explained. "It all had to come from her. I couldn't be the pop star—as cheesy as that sounds."

The "Wolves" singer even overcame her nerves to portray the role. "Because I was so honored and I knew Jacques [Audiard] was such a visionary and I just wanted to be a part of it," she explained.

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Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.