Originally appeared on E! Online
Selena Gomez wants fans to calm down with the speculation about her looks.
On July 27, the 32-year-old responded to a TikTok video a physician's assistant working in a Florida plastic surgeon's office had shared in 2023, in which she addressed recent online speculation that the "Lose You to Love Me" singer had undergone cosmetic work.
"Honestly," Gomez commented on the post, "I hate this."
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The "Only Murders in the Building" star went on to say she was "on stripes because of flare up" and added, "I have Botox. That’s it. Leave me alone."
Some fans speculated that Gomez, who suffers from lupus and revealed on social media last December that she had gotten Botox, may have made a typo by writing "stripes."
In the video, the PA, Marissa Barrionuevo, displayed side-by-side photos of the actress' face — one taken a few years ago and one showing her at the 2023 Golden Globes. The TikToker made no speculations herself about any possible differences in Gomez's appearance.
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"I think she's been through so much in her life, especially medically related, so I don't think it's fair to speculate whether or not she's gotten cosmetic things done," she said. "At the end of the day, let's just leave her be."
The PA later shared an apology to Gomez in a follow-up video.
"I am sorry if that made you feel any sort of way," she said. "I adore you."
She added, "You don't owe it to anyone to tell us why you don't look the same as when you did when you were a teenage or in your twenties."
Gomez responded in a comment. "I love you," she wrote. "Not about you. I just get sad sometimes."
Gomez was diagnosed with lupus, an incurable autoimmune disorder that attacks tissues and organs, in 2014. Symptoms, such as joint pain, are felt during flares, or periods of increased disease activity. They can be reduced with medications, many of which come with side effects.
Gomez, who underwent a kidney transplant in 2017 as a result of her lupus, has not specified what prescription drugs she takes for the disease. She addressed fan concerns over her health on TikTok in January, telling a fan, "I shake because of my medication of lupus."
The "Calm Down" singer has long shared body positive messages amid years of criticism over her looks.
"Today I realized I'll never look like this again," Gomez wrote on her Instagram Stories, also in January, alongside an old bikini shot of herself, before adding with a more recent snap: "I'm not perfect but I am proud to be who I am —sometimes I forget it's ok to be me."
