Selena Gomez is facing fresh backlash once again as plastic surgery rumors resurface following a series of close-up selfies shared online.
After the 33-year-old singer posted the snaps to her official Instagram account on Thursday, January 22, netizens quickly tore into her appearance, accusing the pop star of going overboard with alleged cosmetic procedures.
Highlights
- Selena Gomez’s latest close-up selfies ignited plastic surgery speculation, with critics dissecting her “drastically altered” facial features.
- The 33-year-old singer’s new look reignited debate over Botox, fillers, and buccal fat removal claims, despite her repeated denials.
- Gomez advocates for “natural beauty” and self-love, but some critics find it hypocritical given what they perceive as her altered facial features.
“She completely changed her face and her fans claiming it is lupus are in denial,” one critic wrote.
Selena Gomez has been accused by social media sleuths of getting “rid of her round face” through “insane” plastic surgery in her latest snaps
Image credits: Frank Sun
The carousel, consisting of four images, featured Selena Gomez posing in a pink bedroom while lying on a bed, wrapped in what appeared to be a fuzzy white towel.
The towel covered her chest, while her bare shoulders in several close-up images gave the illusion that she was completely unclothed.
Since posting the selfies with the caption “short series,” a nod to her newly cropped bob hairstyle, the post has racked up over 1.7 million likes and more than 16,300 comments.
Image credits: selenagomez/Instagram
While many fans praised the new visuals, particularly her fresh haircut, others zeroed in on Gomez’s noticeably “chiseled” face, sparking speculation about excessive cosmetic surgery.
One Reddit community, r/snarkingonselena, known for frequently nitpicking the newly married star, reshared the images with the title, “How does she have a different face every day?”
The user added in the caption, “This is not normal. Her chin area is shrinking but the cheeks remain the same.”
Image credits: selenagomez/Instagram
Another commenter echoed the sentiment, writing, “The buccal fat removal and cheek implants are so evident here yikes.”
“She naturally has a soft round face and suddenly… her face is slim. Buccal fat removal, chin implant, lip filler and veneers to name a few. She destroyed her once youthful face,” added a third.
“Weight gain/loss definitely changes how you look but it doesn't change facial features as drastically as she has because she has work done,” commented one critic
The same Reddit user later shared a separate post featuring a compilation of Gomez’s face over the years, showing the Only Murders in the Building star with noticeably fuller cheeks in earlier photos, contrasted with one of her recent selfies in question.
This post was titled, “There is nothing wrong with round faces.”
Doubling down in the caption, the user speculated about the procedures Selena may have allegedly undergone to achieve her current look.
Image credits: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images / hungvanngo/Instagram
They wrote, “The amount of work she has had done to get rid of her round face is insane. There is nothing wrong with having a round face and some of the most beautiful women have a round shaped face.”
“She was one who was known for her round face being beautiful also. She literally looked better back then i just don't understand why she did that to herself.”
As a public figure, Selena has long been the subject of plastic surgery speculation; however, the songstress has consistently denied undergoing any cosmetic procedures.
Critics speculated about the cosmetic procedures the 33-year-old singer may have allegedly undergone after revealing her new look on Instagram
Image credits: Harper's BAZAAR/YouTube / hungvanngo/Instagram
While Gomez has denied getting plastic surgery, she has previously confirmed using Botox, writing on TikTok, “Honestly I hate this… I have Botox. That’s it. Leave me alone!”
The Lose You to Love Me singer has also been open about living with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that can cause significant and varied physical changes.
Fans have repeatedly defended Gomez, citing her condition and noting that lupus can affect facial appearance through inflammation, swelling, or “hollowed-out” areas once flare-ups subside.
However, many critics pushed back against those explanations in the now-viral Reddit discussion, with one user writing, “The fact ppl would see this and think lupus.”
Another added, “Maybe she’s slowly trying to get rid of that God awful chin before people realize it was never her lupus.”
A third netizen expressed, “She was so beautiful with her natural round face! Ruined herself!”
Image credits: benny blanco/YouTube / Selena Gomez/YouTube
“She preaches self-love, but she couldn't do it herself…”
The last user’s comments come amid Gomez often being viewed as a prominent advocate of natural beauty, particularly through her messaging around self-acceptance and dismantling unrealistic standards of perfection.
The Heart Wants What It Wants singer has previously confirmed her use of Botox but has reportedly dodged speculation about going under the knife
Image credits: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
While attending the Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, D.C., in October last year, Gomez emphasized the importance of embracing her own “natural beauty,” stating that if she ever chose to alter her appearance surgically, she would be transparent about it.
“I’m as real as I can be… I’ll tell you all the things that are photoshopped. I’ll tell you where I got Botox. The goal is to be remembered for what I’ve done for people.”
She further highlighted that her brand Rare Beauty doesn’t “use models” for its promotions, but instead features everyday people who haven’t undergone cosmetic procedures.
Image credits: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
“We use people [in our campaigns] who feel like they could be your best friend. So many brands have been doing this. It’s not just us… It makes me really proud.”
However, months before the latest backlash, Gomez faced similar scrutiny in October 2025 following the release of her In the Dark music video, with critics accusing her of looking “puffy” due to alleged excessive Botox and fillers.
One user harshly commented at the time, “Fillers are a PLAGUE. What are people doing to their faces?? It’s so bad.”
“Buccal fat removal and more cheek/temple filler so she can look like Bella Hadid but obviously look botched instead,” wrote one social media user
