Selena Gomez has a message for her critics: vulnerability is not shameful.
In an impassioned speech at a recent event, the actress and singer, 32, addressed her decision to open up about her inability to carry children and her mental health struggles — and told haters to “f— off.”
“I truly believe that there is power in being vulnerable and telling people when you need help, when you want help,” Gomez said as her younger sister Gracie Elliott Teefey sat beside her, footage from the event shows.
“That is not shameful. So yeah, I shared that I can’t carry a child. Yeah, I shared I have bipolar. F— off. That’s what my life is like,” she added as the other attendees clapped in agreement.
Gomez went on to say that she wants to “advocate for women, and that’s why I share. That’s why I like to be honest — because everybody’s going through something.”
“I don’t have it all together. … I’m me. And that’s all I can be,” she continued, before turning to address someone off-screen, stating, “So do not ever let anyone tell you that you are not a good person, that you aren’t kind, that you won’t treat people with respect.”
Circling back to vulnerability, Gomez said, “Cause that is not lame, that is so cool of you guys.”
“And that is the fact,” she concluded. “So, screw anyone who tells you you’re a victim. You’re a survivor in my book.”
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The Only Murders in the Building star’s speech comes shortly after she revealed in Vanity Fair’s October issue that she is unable to carry her own children.
“I haven’t ever said this … but I unfortunately can’t carry my own children,” Gomez told the magazine.
“I have a lot of medical issues that would put my life and the baby’s in jeopardy,” she further explained, adding that “that was something I had to grieve for a while.”
The actress — who previously discussed suffering from complications with lupus and revealed her bipolar diagnosis in April 2020 — also told Vanity Fair that she is in “a much better place with that.”
“I find it a blessing that there are wonderful people willing to do surrogacy or adoption, which are both huge possibilities for me,” she explained.
“It made me really thankful for the other outlets for people who are dying to be moms. I’m one of those people,” Gomez continued. “I’m excited for what that journey will look like, but it’ll look a little different. At the end of the day, I don’t care. It’ll be mine. It’ll be my baby.”