Celebrities might choose to be in the public eye, but that doesn’t mean they need your opinion on their (presumed) health issues. On a Jan. 22 episode of “Call Her Daddy,” Amy Schumer explained how concerned internet commenters first drew attention to her “moon face” about a year ago (a potential sign of underlying health issues). “I was like, ‘OK everybody, relax,'” Schumer told Alex Cooper on the podcast. But then doctors started to weigh in. “They were like no, no, we think something’s really up. Like your face looks so crazy, that we think something’s up.”
This particular story has a happy ending, with the comments eventually leading Schumer to an (official) diagnosis. “I was getting these steroid injections, and it gave me this thing called Cushing syndrome,” she said. “I wouldn’t have known if the internet hadn’t come for me so hard.” Still, that doesn’t justify all the assumptions people made about her on social media — and unfortunately, it’s a pattern we see all too often.
A Facetuned profile picture does not a medical degree make.
Some onlookers would argue that their unsolicited health advice is warranted because it could prove helpful in the long-run. But the vast majority of the time, the internet is still really, really bad at understanding the true complexity of most medical conditions. Another important point? Many people — celebrities included — don’t want to take health advice from anyone but their own doctors. A Facetuned profile picture does not a medical degree make.
Of course, that doesn’t stop people from thinking they’re always right. Look at the assumptions people made based on Chadwick Boseman’s appearance, despite him privately dealing with colon cancer behind the scenes. Kate Middleton was another victim of rampant health speculation before eventually sharing her cancer diagnosis. That’s not to mention Selena Gomez, who often fields unsolicited comments about her lupus diagnosis, and Christina Applegate, who made a statement about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis before the final season of “Dead to Me” in an effort to avoid any additional scrutiny and assumptions about her health.
At the end of the day, while it’s fine to show support online, getting an (accurate) diagnosis is something that can only be done with the help of a healthcare professional. While you might think health-related comments are fine as long as they’re well-intentioned, making assumptions about a person’s health (especially based on changes in their appearance) can actually do a lot more harm than good. Our take? If someone’s not asking you for medical advice, they probably don’t want it — even if they are celebrities.
Chandler Plante (she/her) is an assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of professional journalism experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributing to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group.
