Selena Gomez says she 'felt like an object' as a young actress in Hollywood: 'It felt gross'

“For a while, I felt like an object. It felt gross for a long time,” Gomez, 29, told ELLE magazine in a candid cover interview in which she is depicted as a modern-day Marilyn Monroe.

The singer and actress was previously diagnosed with lupus in 2014 and then underwent a kidney transplant and chemotherapy in a grueling recovery. At the time, Gomez was also dealing with the rigors of maintaining public relationships with Justin Bieber and The Weeknd. Ultimately, the combination of it all took a toll on Gomez’s mental health, all while the swirling rumors in the media suggested she was seeking solace by engaging in other means. "I don’t even know what they really believed I was doing — drugs, alcohol, running around, partying," she explained of the barrage of media reports following the moment she checked herself into a mental health facility. "The narrative was so nasty."