You’ve seen the photos. Maybe it was a grainy paparazzi shot of her on a yacht in Sydney, or one of those zoomed-in TikToks where someone is trying to play doctor with a red circle. People have spent an weird amount of time obsessed with the selena gomez belly button and the surrounding area. Honestly, it’s kinda wild how much scrutiny one person's midsection can get. But for Selena, that part of her body isn't just a fashion statement—it’s basically a map of everything she’s survived.
Most of the noise started after her 2017 kidney transplant. If you’re looking for the simple "why does it look different" answer, it's not some botched cosmetic surgery or a hidden trend. It’s medical. Complex, life-saving medical history. When Selena went under the knife for the transplant (donated by her friend Francia Raisa), things didn't exactly go according to the brochure. There were massive complications.
The Emergency That Changed Everything
Here is the thing about that surgery: it wasn't just one procedure. A few hours after the initial transplant, Selena actually woke up and realized something was very wrong. A kidney is a finicky organ. As she turned over in bed, an artery snapped. That is terrifying.
Doctors had to rush her back into the OR for an emergency six-hour surgery. To fix the broken artery, they had to take a vein from her leg and essentially build a new pathway to keep the kidney alive. This is why you see a very specific scar on her inner thigh, but it also explains the "obtrusion" she has mentioned regarding her stomach.
She told The Today Show back in the day that she had a "massive" protrusion on her abdomen because of the way they had to access her organs in that emergency state. She even had to have it drained. When you see photos where her belly button area looks slightly "off" or different than her Disney days, you’re looking at the physical aftermath of a woman who almost died twice in one day.
Why the Internet Won't Let It Go
People love a conspiracy. Or they love to body shame. It’s usually one of the two. In 2018, when those bikini photos from Australia leaked, the internet went into a tailspin. Some people were praising her for being "brave" (which, honestly, can feel a bit backhanded), while others were dissecting her weight and the shape of her torso.
Selena’s response? She posted about "The Beauty Myth."
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She basically said she’s done trying to meet an impossible definition of flawless. It’s a recurring theme for her. Since she has lupus, her body is constantly in a state of flux. She’s been very open about how her medication—specifically steroids like prednisone—makes her hold onto water.
- Flare-ups: When her lupus is active, she bloats.
- The "Stripes" Comment: She recently shut down a TikTok plastic surgery expert, clarifying she was on "stripes" (which most people realized was an autocorrect for steroids) during a flare-up.
- The Weight: She has mentioned her weight fluctuates between 120 and 150 pounds depending on her health.
It’s not just about a belly button. It’s about the fact that her body is literally fighting itself every day.
The Piercing Rumors
There’s also this weirdly persistent question: Did she get it pierced?
If you look back at her Stars Dance era around 2013, she definitely flaunted the midriff-baring look. There are a few shots where it looks like there might be a small stud, and Reddit has spent years arguing about whether it was a real piercing or just a clip-on for a music video. Most evidence points to it being a temporary look for certain performances.
Post-transplant, she hasn't really been seen with one. And honestly, given the amount of scarring and sensitivity she likely has in that area, a piercing is probably the last thing on her mind.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that any change in her appearance is a "choice." Whether it’s Botox (which she actually admitted to having, saying "that's it" to the rumors) or the shape of her stomach, people assume she's trying to achieve a certain look.
In reality, she’s just trying to live.
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Lupus can cause something called peritonitis, which is inflammation of the abdominal lining. It’s incredibly painful. It can make your stomach feel like it's on fire and look visibly distended. When you combine that with the surgical scars from the transplant, her midsection is a testament to resilience, not a "flaw" to be fixed.
How to Actually Support the Conversation
If you’re someone who follows Selena because you care about her journey, the best thing to do is stop looking for "perfection" in her photos. She’s 33 now. She’s not the 19-year-old girl from Wizards of Waverly Place anymore. No one is.
Instead of searching for "what happened to her belly button," maybe look at what she’s done with her platform. She’s built a billion-dollar beauty brand, Rare Beauty, that focuses on mental health. She’s used her scars to normalize the idea that bodies are allowed to be messy.
Next Steps for You:
- Check out the Rare Impact Fund: If you want to see where her heart actually is, look at the work she's doing for mental health access.
- Educate yourself on Lupus: Understanding how autoimmune diseases work makes it a lot easier to ignore the tabloid garbage about her "changing body."
- Follow her "Faces, Phases" philosophy: She recently posted a series of photos showing her different looks over the years. It’s a great reminder that none of us stay the same, and that’s perfectly fine.