Even though she may look confident on the outside, Camila Cabello is constantly struggling with her mental health and perception of her body. In a May 10 interview, two weeks after the 25-year-old singer rocked a thong bikini on Instagram, she opened up about the “ever-present struggle” she feels about being happy in her body. She explained that even though she looked carefree and confident in her swimsuit as she celebrated the success of her and Ed Sheeran‘s song “Bam Bam,” fans should take it with a grain of salt. “People can often look at these pictures of celebrities and want to change their diet or aspire to that,” she told People magazine, referring to her gorgeous bikini shot from April 25. “I thought it was important for me to be like, ‘Hey, this isn’t necessarily something to aspire to. I might look a certain way, but I’ve had a really sh**ty time, and that’s not a good way to be.'”
On April 2, Camila shared a heartfelt note on her Instagram page that discussed the pressures she faces to look a certain way and how tolling it can be to see paparazzi trying to get a shot of her while she’s outside in a swimsuit. “Every time I’ve gone to this beach club in Miami I get papped – somehow when I check in paps know and get me in my bikini and every time I’ve felt super vulnerable and unprepared – I’ve worn bikinis that were too small and paid no mind to how I looked, then saw pictures online and comments and been so upset,” she began. She continued on to vent about the image society has created of what a healthy woman’s body should look like. “I felt the emptiness and sadness of our culture’s thoughts that became my thoughts,” she revealed. “I wanted to talk about this because we see pictures of women and praise them for looking good, for looking fit or ‘healthy’, but what is health if you are so fixated on what your body looks like that your mental health suffers and you can’t enjoy your life?”
Further addressing her post, Camila told People she hopes her honest words make a positive impact in the world. “I don’t have a solution for it, and I struggle with it all the time, even after that post. At the Met [Gala], I struggled with it too,” she recalled. “It’s an ever-present struggle, and I think a lot of women feel that way.”
And while the former Fifth Harmony member does not have a solution to completely combat her negative thoughts, she did share some steps she has in place to help herself when she does start feeling down. Camila said she deletes social media apps from her phone and simply takes time for herself. She also advocated for therapy. “Whenever there’s just some sauce on the floors of my brain and it’s f**king wonky in there, therapy’s just me cleaning up, sorting it out,” she noted. “When you’re having mental health struggles, treating it like a broken arm or leg and being like, ‘I need X, Y, and Z to feel better,’ I think that’s important.”
Camila also said she keeps a trusted circle of friends around her, one of which is fellow singer Selena Gomez, 29. “She is somebody that’s always been so supportive, a really great friend, and a person with great values. She’s super empathetic, loyal, and honest,” she gushed. “We have our own little group, and we hang out, and all of our conversations are real.” Selena and Camila have been spotted together several times throughout the years. Most recently, they posted a fun TikTok with each other sipping martinis and laughing at a quote they lip-synced from Dance Moms. “And then there were two,” Camila mouthed before Selena added, “Nobody likes us. The two b**ches are left.”
Selena has also been very honest about her mental health struggles, and even launched the Rare Impact Fund alongside her Rare Beauty cosmetics and beauty brand in an attempt to help bring mental health awareness and resources to those who need them.