Selena Gomez Perfectly Explains What So Many Feel About Their Scars

Coming to terms with the scars on your body after a major surgery can be a difficult process. After her kidney transplant, Selena Gomez experienced what many others with chronic illnesses have faced, and recently revealed how she learned to feel empowered by her scar.

Gomez was named Billboard’s 2017 Woman of the Year, and in an interview with the magazine published Thursday, was asked if she “feels comfortable” with the scar from the kidney transplant she underwent earlier this year. She responded that she didn’t but she does now. “It was really hard in the beginning,” she admitted.

“I remember looking at myself in the mirror completely naked and thinking about all the things that I used to bitch about and just asking, ‘Why?’ I had someone in my life for a very long time who pointed out all the things that I didn’t feel great about with myself,” Gomez said. “When I look at my body now, I just see life. There are a million things I can do — lasers and creams and all that stuff — but I’m OK with it.”

She clarified that she isn’t judgmental of people who use plastic surgery or treatments on their body, but that she wouldn’t do it unless she already felt comfortable with who she is.

“I don’t have perfect abs, but I feel like I’m wonderfully made,” she said.

Gomez also said her surgery has made her reevaluate how she was making decisions, encouraging her to focus on herself and what was best for her, not other people.

“[After the surgery] I had this sense of gratitude for myself. I don’t think I’ve ever just stopped and been like, ‘I’m actually grateful for who I am,’” she said.

At Billboard’s Woman of the Year event yesterday, Gomez accepted her award with a shout-out to her best friend and kidney donor, Francia Raisa.

“To be honest, I think Francia should be getting this award because she saved my life,” Gomez said tearfully. “I feel incredibly lucky.”

In an interview on “The Today Show” in October, Gomez and Raisa explained that after Gomez began experiencing complications from lupus and realized she would need a new kidney, Raisa volunteered to be her donor. Though Gomez experienced some complications during surgery, she said her health and life have been vastly improved thanks to her new kidney.

Lead photo courtesy of Selena Gomez’s Instagram