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Selena Gomez shows kidney transplant scar: 'I feel confident in who I am'

Gomez underwent kidney transplant surgery in 2017, and has since recovered fully.
/ Source: TODAY

In 2017, Selena Gomez's life was transformed when a dear friend agreed to donate a kidney to the musician/actress. But while she's fully recovered from the surgery, until now she's been reluctant to show off her scar publicly.

That all changed Thursday, in an Instagram post she shared while promoting a new bathing suit:

"When I got my kidney transplant, I remember it being very difficult at first showing my scar," she wrote in the 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."

She added a note for "T" next, "T" being another close friend, Theresa Mingus, the founder of La'Mariette swimwear. "Congratulations on what you're doing for women, launching @lamariette whose message is just that...all bodies are beautiful."

In the picture, Gomez stands tall in her powder-blue suit, displaying a scar on her upper, inner right thigh. She's posed in the company's swimwear before; on Sept. 4 she wore a bikini in an IG photo, but avoided showing her scar in her pose.

At 28, Gomez has overcome several lifetimes of challenges. Though she's a successful actress, songwriter and performer, she was diagnosed with chronic autoimmune disease lupus in 2015, which led to chemotherapy and, ultimately, the transplant. The following year she sought sought treatment for anxiety and depression, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Early in September she shared with Allure another character-shaping challenge: Being asked to "show more skin" to promote her music career, specifically with her 2015 album "Revival."

"I just did things that weren't really me," she said. "There was pressure to seem more adult on my album, 'Revival.' (I felt) the need to show skin... I really don't think I was (that) person."

Fortunately, it seems she's on the road to figuring things out — and others are noting: She was recently named one of TIME Magazine's 100 most influential people of 2020.