Selena Gomez says women ‘have it much harder’ on social media than men

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN

(CNN) — Selena Gomez thinks women “have it much harder” than men when it comes to negative comments on social media.

The singer and actress was discussing the impact of online hate in an interview she did with Jay Shetty, alongside her fiancé, the songwriter and record producer Benny Blanco.

The interview for the “On Purpose With Jay Shetty” podcast saw the couple, who are promoting their collaborative album “I Said I Love You First,” discuss their relationship and the impact on it of being in the public eye.

Blanco told Shetty that he never reads comments on social media, and that he prefers to “freefall through life.”

But Gomez, 32, is less breezy.

“Women have it much harder,” she said, adding that women deal with “a lot more intense feelings” about their appearance.

She said that, from her perspective, the situation is “pretty wild,” adding: “When I get prepared for an event, 90% of the time I just hope I can take the picture and sit down. It’s the character that gets judged, it’s the way I’m not white enough, I’m not Mexican enough.”

She said she will sometimes “fall victim” to looking at things that are written about her online, but “it doesn’t add to your life.”

“Nobody cares about those kind of things with men,” she said, adding that women are picked up on everything from their appearance to who they date. “We just carry a lot,” she said.

She went on to say: “My weight’s a big one, too. Everyone just has something to say and it’s really making me sad. Not even sad, because you know, no, I’m not a victim, everyone. I just think it’s maybe a tad bitter. And I feel really guilty for saying that but it’s true.”

She said she has previously had to take time out from social media, adding: “I’m human so of course sometimes I read things but I do most of the time ignore most of everything.”

She said she does not currently have social media on her phone, though she does appreciate the good side of it, too. “I understand the power of what social media is – it’s just tricky,” she said.

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