+
Pop Culture

Selena Gomez's emotional live video is a reminder to stop commenting on other people's bodies

"It's the medication I have to take for the rest of my life."

Selena Gomez; body shaming; mental health; golden globes; TikTok
Selena Gomez/wikicommons Twitter/@taylenahq

Selena Gomez's emotional live video is a reminder to stop commenting on people's bodies.

Selena Gomez has talked openly about her diagnosis of lupus for several years now. We've seen her take breaks from music and acting because of it, and she's even gotten a kidney transplant from the organ damage the autoimmune disorder caused. With all of the changes Gomez has gone through, she continues to push forward and attend celebrity events when she is able.

But once again, the focus of her latest red carpet walk at the Golden Globe Awards was her body. Not because she looked stunning in her gown—which she did. No, it was because she gained a few pounds. Gomez has been in the spotlight since she was a child on "Barney & Friends," then later on "Wizards of Waverly Place." She's 30 years old now, and that alone should be reason enough for people to expect her to have more curves.


Since Gomez has spoken publicly about her lupus and bipolar disorder, it seems like people would be kinder and expect that her medications may cause weight fluctuations. Instead, people wrote articles about the state of her body and folks on the internet decided to leave comments about it. This led to the singer addressing the body shaming in an emotional TikTok live.

In the live video, she explained what happens when she takes her medication. "[When I'm taking it, I] tend to hold a lot of water weight, and that happens very normally. When I'm off of it, I tend to lose weight." During the video, Gomez got emotional, saying, "My medications are important and I believe they are what helps me. Not a model, never will be. And I think they're awesome, mind you. I'm just definitely not that."

It's a wild thing to watch unfold. This isn't the first time Gomez has had to come out and talk about her weight gain. It just makes you wonder why we are still commenting on people's bodies. Unless you're a person's medical provider and they've come to you asking why they've gained weight or how to lose it, then maybe we should collectively keep those thoughts inside the thought box.

So many people experience different things in life, and some of them cause our bodies to look different than what others may be used to. But commenting on what has changed about someone's body can cause harm that exceeds hurt feelings.

Studies show that body shaming can cause depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, eating disorders and more weight gain. Having someone give unsolicited commentary on your body just doesn't feel good, and celebrities are getting that experience times millions.

Fans of the actor have come to her defense on social media. One of them took to Twitter, writing, "The fact that selena felt like she had to go on a live and explain that when she takes medical for her illness she gains weight after being bodyshamed [sic] and asked why she looks different… like i feel so bad for her she looked so upset."

"I just want people to know that you're beautiful, and you're wonderful," Gomez said. "Yeah, we have days where maybe we feel like s---, but I would rather be healthy and take care of myself. My medications are important, and I believe that they're what helps me."

Gomez ended the live thanking her fans for their support and telling the haters to go away, saying, "I'm perfect the way I am."


Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

Keep ReadingShow less
via Google and Freepik

Google's new personal information removal submission page.

In the internet era, the idea of personal privacy is all but a myth. With a few keystrokes just about anyone can get your home address, phone number, email, age and the names of your family members. The fact that this information is readily available puts us all in the dangerous position of being the victim of fraud, stalking and violence.

What makes the situation even worse is that our information was put online without any of our consent.

The good news is that Google just made a big change that gives us all a little more control over our personal information. On April 27, the company announced it will allow anyone to request removals of their personal information from its Search feature.

“Open access to information is a key goal of Search, but so is empowering people with the tools they need to protect themselves and keep their sensitive, personally identifiable information private. That’s why we’re updating our policies to help people take more control of their online presence in Search,” Michelle Chang, Google’s Global Policy Lead for Search, announced on the company’s blog.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

Keep ReadingShow less

Becca Moore and Raul Torres having margaritas.

Becca Moore is a popular TikToker with over 800,000 followers who's known for her funny, laid-back takes on dating. Like any influencer-type she was at the Coachella music and arts festival in Indio, California recently. While she was at Coachella, she was robbed of her phone, rental car keys and wallet.

“I went to Coachella this weekend and I thought this guy was kinda hitting on me but then he just robbed me,” Becca says at the beginning of her three-minute TikTok video with over 3 million views. After the festival, she was left with no ride, money, or means to get in contact with friends and family. She was stranded in the desert.

Becca’s friend’s hotel called her an Uber so she could get to a local store to buy a new phone. The driver she was incredibly lucky to be connected with was a lot more than a guy with a car in a time of need, he was a guardian angel named Raul Torres from Fresno, California, six hours north of Indio.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

44 years ago he became her protector after a terrible act. Today, they've been reunited in love.

Betsy and Irv are finally getting the happy ending they deserve. Together.

It’s pretty safe to say that everyone loves a good love story.

There’s a whole genre of music and movies dedicated to the idea of someone being swept off of their feet after circumstances tried to keep them from their true love. Romance novels could single handedly keep public libraries and bookstores afloat. Everyone loves "love" and the story of Betsy and Irv just takes the cake. Betsy Sailor attended Penn State University as a business major, which was almost unheard of in 1978 and Irv Pankey attended the university while playing football. The pair’s paths never crossed, until an unfortunate incident bonded the two forever.

Keep ReadingShow less
@SopheAlice/TikTok

Best way to travel, really.

As they say, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”

This old adage was brought to life in a whole new way after two friends who thought they booked tickets to Budapest, Hungary, instead found themselves heading to Bucharest, Romania.

Just a minor 500-mile difference, but who’s counting?

TikToker @SophAlice posted a video of the pair realizing their mix-up, which went viral and set them off on an impromptu adventure based entirely on the comments they received.
Keep ReadingShow less