Why Everyone Needs to Leave Selena Gomez Alone in 2016 

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Why Everyone Needs to Leave Selena Gomez Alone in 2016

Despite the fact that she hasn\'t licked doughnuts that aren\'t hers, been embroiled in any celeb Twitter feuds, or caught in offensive outfits, the 23-year-old singer has still had to speak out and defend herself, countless times this year, just for being herself.

While much of 2015 was spent preparing for the October release of her second solo studio album,

, Gomez had to come out of media hiding to respond to rumors and shut down social media critics so her fans could know the truth about her relationships, her health, and her image.

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Who knows why Gomez has been met with so much unwarranted speculation.

Growing up in the public eye can give some Internet commenters the impression that they\'re entitled to know

about their favorite celebs: even the things stars want to keep private.

Gomez admits it has affected how she would live her day-to-day life, telling

in February: "There were a few months where I was a little depressed, where I wouldn\'t leave [my home] as much."

The star said it just seemed easier to have people run out for her so she could avoid being photographed constantly.

"I don\'t trust anyone," Gomez confessed in a June interview with Elvis Duran and The Z100 Morning Show.

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It was only recently, in October, that the singer broke her silence on her lupus diagnosis and undergoing chemotherapy, which is why she had taken a break from the spotlight.

It was a break that had been met with speculation of alleged alcohol issues or her personal life, namely her Justin Bieber breakup, being the reason for her rehab stint.

While Gomez was keeping quiet in late 2013 and early 2014, fighting lupus complications, the outside world was taking that as an invite to dream up sordid details explaining her silence.

Though she owed no one any explanations on her road to remission, Gomez still chose to share her story "to use [her] platform to help," despite the fact that she\'s still "uncomfortable" discussing it publicly.

The last thing a person trying to get healthy should have to worry about is online haters having a field day during your absence.

Her very personal health issues weren\'t the only unprovoked topic for critics grasping at straws in 2015.

When swimsuit photos of the singer surfaced and were met with insults from body-shaming bullies, Gomez responded both through humor and honesty.

"I did start gaining weight, and I didn\'t really mind it," the former Disney Channel star said in a September interview on The Cruz Show on Power 106 Los Angeles.

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Similarly, with relationship rumors, she has tried responding in different ways.

Gomez has attempted to close the book on the Justin Bieber era of her life, though she continues to get questions about her former beau in interviews.

She\'s also directly responded to love life questions with: "I\'m definitely single."

When she\'s fielded questions that seem like they could be digging for shade or controversy, Gomez has stuck with being straightforward and human.

On fellow Disney alums Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato: "Everyone has found their identity in a really interesting way... we had to go through our own s--t. At the end of the day, it\'s respecting every female artist\'s choice in how she expresses herself, because that\'s what she wants."

On ditching her purity ring: "I\'m also not embarrassed to say that the ring has come off. I got it was I was 13 and I respect so much what it represented, but it isn\'t for everyone."

She\'s had to defend friendships with Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

Because even where there\'s no sign of drama, people will keep checking in,

Gomez hasn\'t given her fans, or her critics, any reason to believe she has anything questionable going on.

And when that speculation has cut into her professional life, questioning her live performances, she\'s taken on the gossip head-on: "Yes I f--king sing live."

She\'s not a star you see constantly apologizing, whether for justifiable offenses, or for ones that are blown out of proportion.

She\'s just living, working, and doing her thing.

So maybe 2016 will be the year that the haters lay off Gomez?

We don\'t want to say she\'s boring, she\'s anything but. However, the singer has risen from child star to adult, with normal life challenges, like heartbreak and health, without giving people reason to question her as a role model or a good example to her fans.

Why not shine a light where and when it\'s needed, and not on one of the few pop stars who seem like they have it together?

Maybe that "Revival" she\'s singing about will finally be realized on social media too.

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