Selena Gomez won’t hide her scars from the world.

On Thursday, the Mexican American singer-actress posted a photo to Instagram that instantly made headlines. In the photo, she was wearing blue one-piece half-zip bathing suit from her friend’s new swimwear line La’Mariette.

But it wasn’t the bathing suit that turned heads, but the scar that Gomez proudly displayed on her right inner thigh.

View this post on Instagram

When I got my kidney transplant, I remember it being very difficult at first showing my scar. I didn’t want it to be in photos, so I wore things that would cover it up. Now, more than ever, I feel confident in who I am and what I went through…and I’m proud of that. T – Congratulations on what you’re doing for women, launching @lamariette whose message is just that…all bodies are beautiful.

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Sep 24, 2020 at 9:57am PDT

In the caption, Gomez opened up about her body-acceptance journey, specifically in regards to the scar she received from emergency surgery after her 2017 kidney transplant surgery.

“When I got my kidney transplant, I remember it being very difficult at first showing my scar,” she wrote in her caption. “I didn’t want it to be in photos, so I wore things that would cover it up. Now, more than ever, I feel confident in who I am and what I went through…and I’m proud of that. T – Congratulations on what you’re doing for women, launching @lamariette whose message is just that…all bodies are beautiful.”

The photo is notable because Gomez’s scar was first captured by paparazzi in 2018 while she was on a boating trip in Australia.

Back then, Gomez didn’t have control over narrative or how her body was presented to the world. But now she does. And a change like that makes all the difference.

Fans immediately praised Gomez’s bravery, adding comments like “You are so strong and powerful” and “Thank you for showing our scars are beautiful and all bodies are beautiful!”

A sufferer of lupus, Selena Gomez has had a long and difficult health journey. In 2017, she received a kidney transplant from her good friend and fellow Latina, Francia Raísa.

Gomez has previously been candid about how grateful she is to Raísa for saving her life. “My kidneys were just done,” Gomez explained in an interview with The Today Show. “That was it, and I didn’t want to ask a single person in my life. The thought of asking someone to do that was really difficult for me. [Raísa] volunteered and did it.”

But the scar that Gomez was displaying in her latest Instagram post was actually the result of an emergency follow-up surgery. According to Raisa, shortly after the kidney transplant, Gomez ruptured an artery. Doctors had to rush Gomez to the operating room to remove a vein in her leg and rebuild a new artery in order to keep the kidney in place.

As of now, Gomez’s body has healed, but as she implied in the caption above, she is still in the process of healing from the emotional trauma that comes with health problems. She truly is an inspiration to us all.

Notice any needed corrections? Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com

Vogue México knows a good trend when it comes to the fashion world. Their recent decision to feature model Vanessa Romo on the cover of their September issue proves that they also know a classic too. Speaking with Vogue México the model opened up about her career, challenges, and experiences that have allowed her to position herself as one of the modeling world’s most prominent figures.

The model with Mexican roots started out her career by modeling on small projects then moved up to uploading images to Instagram and eventually became discovered by Forever 21. Soon after, the North American fast-fashion brand offered Romo a collaboration and she was ultimately signed to an agent.

Now she’s Vogue México’s September model.

In her interview with Vogue, Romo says that the first time she saw plus-size models on a runway, her view of the fashion industry completely shifted.

Seeing women with bodies just like hers, made Romo feel represented in a way that was beautiful and confident. Speaking to Vogue México, Romo explains that she struggled her first two years as a model because she was still in college at University of California, Santa Bárbara. Because of her Latin roots, Romo studied Chicano Studies and Spanish. Her interest led her to continue to explore her identity and Romo decided to audition for Nuestra Belleza Latina on Univision in 2018.

Romo told Vogue that she decided to take part in the competition because she knew there was a need for this representation in the Latino community. When she finished the contest, she realized that she needed to continue breaking expectations for models.

“With this new inspiration, she decided to learn to love her body. Modeling and fashion were for her a way of exploring her own confidence and growing her,” Vogue México revealed. “The power of modeling captivated her so much that it was then that she realized that she herself wanted to be part of the change. Just as she needed empowerment, she knew that there were so many girls and women who needed it equally.”

Notice any needed corrections? Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com