Many young celebrities both in the film and music industries have been in and out of rehabilitation and medical facilities, but for 23-year-old singer and actress Selena Gomez, it's a different matter altogether. Gomez recently revealed that she was diagnosed with lupus and had to undergo chemotherapy for it, resulting in her hiatus from the music scene.
The auto-immune disease is a chronic illness wherein the immune system becomes confused and begins to attack its own body, which could lead to cardiovascular disease and stroke. Chemotherapy is usually the first step of those afflicted in order to suppress the immune system. It is, however, a common disease among women in their adolescent to pre-menopausal stage, and even more common in women who are of Hispanic and African-American descent.
Now Gomez is back and prepared to face the public once again with her new album "Revival," which is actually a fitting title for both her career and personal life. Along with a new record, Gomez is shedding her good girl image from her Disney days, beginning with posing nude for the album cover.
She's not going wild, as some may think, though. Gomez said that her main inspiration for the concept of her cover was borne from being body shamed when she gained a little weight after she endured therapy. "The hate motivated me," she revealed.
On December 2013, Gomez cancelled the Asia and Australia leg of her tour citing personal reasons and it was then when speculation of health problems and drug addiction surfaced. "I need to spend some time on myself in order to be the best person I can be," said Gomez along with her apology for having to cut her tour short.
Some people have wondered whether Gomez's transformation had any connection to her former boyfriend Justin Beiber but, to that, Gomez has one answer: "No. This is my time. I've deserved this. I earned it. This is all me."
Gomez's first single off the album, "Good for You," is also a testament to her growth and a statement on how she plans to move forward with her career as a mature woman. "It's about how I feel. Yes, it's sexual and captivating, but that's what makes a woman," she said.
You can watch the music video of "Good for You" below.
Photo: Joella Marano | Flickr
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