Taylor Lautner defends Selena Gomez after his own experience with body-shaming

Yahoo

28-02-2025

Taylor Lautner has Selena Gomez's back.
On Feb. 26, the "Twilight" star reshared an Instagram post from influencer Alex Light about Gomez's changing body. The post featured two pics of the actor on the red carpet, including one of Gomez in 2024 and another in 2025.
Above the 2024 pic, Light shared comments from social media users who said that Gomez should get on Ozempic and she "used to be hot."
Comments on the 2025 photo included one that said Gomez "looked better thicc."
When Lautner reshared the post on his Instagram story, he talked about how "cruel" the world is and how imperative it is to be kind.
"It's a cruel world full of hate out there," he said. "You can never please anyone nor should you have to. In my experience it doesn't make the words sting less, it just refocuses you onto what matters. And it sure isn't the shape, color or appearance of your body. Daily reminder to all of us to not forget how beautiful you are inside and out ... and to be a little bit nicer."
In the original post, Light, who champions body positivity, said she wanted to highlight these comments from social media users because it shows that women, no matter how famous they are, will always be held to "impossible standards."
"No matter what we do, someone will have an opinion. So let's remind ourselves: our bodies are ours, not up for public discussion," she said.
During a 2019 appearance on "Giving Back Generation," Gomez talked about her fluctuating weight.
"I have lupus and deal with kidney issues and high blood pressure, so I deal with a lot of health issues, and for me that's when I really started noticing more of the body image stuff," she said.
Gomez explained that 'a combination' of factors contributed to her weight changes, including the medications she is taking for the rest of her life.
As for Lautner, he has also dealt with scrutiny from the public eye. On his podcast, 'The Squeeze,' he recalled what it was like to have a ripped physique for the "Twilight" films and then a very different appearance for the movies that followed.
He said that one thing that hurt his feelings was when a fan posted side-by-side images of him in 'Twilight' versus him in 'Run the Tide.'
'I thought I looked fine. But then seeing it online where they put the side-by-sides of me shirtless in the ocean in a scene from that movie compared to me in '(The Twilight Saga:) Eclipse' or whatever, and being like, 'Wow, he's let it all go.' I was like, 'Oh man, did I really let it all go?' I didn't think I looked that bad,' he said.
'It messed with me and it hurt,' Lautner added.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com