Originally published on Unwritten by Aurora McCausland.
In 2013, Selena Gomez cancelled part of her tour. Obviously, this was met with lots of confusion and anger. Anyone who was eagerly anticipating watching her live now had to hope the opportunity would arise again in a few years.
And because we, as humans, believe that we should stick our nose in all celebrity business, we all speculated on why she had to suddenly cancel her tour. All she said was that she needed some time to focus on herself.
But what the hell does that mean?
Somehow, we all decided that her secretive need for space and personal reflection meant that she was in rehab. Rehab covers a broad spectrum of things, and we assumed it all.
Only recently did Gomez reveal the real reason for the abrupt cancellation to her tour two years ago: she has Lupus.
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own healthy tissues and organs. Simply put, Selena's body was attacking itself. And so, bravely, she decided to take some time off to figure out what was going on with her body and begin the healing process.
Of all of the possessions we own, our bodies are really the only thing that is solely ours. Other people shouldn't have a say as to what happens with your own body. Everything around you can be lost, destroyed, forgotten. But your body is with you as long as you live.
So, what do you do when that one thing you have to truly rely on is failing you?
Selena suffered through this, and only recently came out of the proverbial closet and explained her issues, trials, and her journey with us.
I don't have lupus, or any other sort of physical illness, and I feel very lucky to have a physically sound and healthy body. I do, however, have a myriad of mental illness. And I have experienced people assuming the worst of me because they don't really know what's going on below the surface.
We have to be aware, as a society, of the issues of the people around us. Contrary to what we have made ourselves believe, we are not always right, and we are not owed any answers. When a celebrity like Selena needs to take some time off to recenter herself, we should applaud her for taking care of herself, not boo her and think of all the heinous possibilities for her need to take a break.
There's always more going on below the surface, don't be so quick to judge what you see at face value.
Selena is a strong woman, having gone through some horrible and painful things over the past few years. We should continue to support her and support all the people around us who are dealing with something difficult, whether they choose to talk about it or not.