When you have an invisible illness, others find it easier to dismiss you and tell you to "suck it up." Thereâs no sign that conveys your pain to the world. But the millions of Americans who have invisible illnesses struggle with their health issues all the damn time, even though others donât acknowledge it.
Women especially aren't taken seriously when it comes to pain. We're used to being told we're just being overdramatic when we talk about illnesses â in fact, many women never even speak up about their pain for fear of being labeled a drama queen. Clearly, we're all a little too used to downplaying pain.
Here are nine female celebrities who are speaking out about their invisible illnesses:
Halsey
Halsey is one of 176 million woman struggling to manage endometriosis, a painful disorder that affects a woman's reproductive system. The singer recently told Vulture she was forced to play a show when she was 20, even though she had just had a miscarriage, which she thinks was probably caused by her endometriosis.
âI had a guy at my label say to me, âYou have to bleed for this, Ashley,ââ she recalled. âYou have no idea how much Iâve bled for this.â
Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham has been particularly open about her endometriosis on social media in recent years, working to bring attention to what can be a debilitating problem often dismissed as "bad period cramps."
For example, she announced she wouldnât do press for the sixth season of âGirls,â explaining on Instagram her endometriosis had her in so much pain, she had to rest. Sadly, Dunham also noted how lucky she was: "So many women with this disease literally don't have the option of time off and I won't take it for granted."
Venus Williams
Venus Williams was once the top Williams sister in tennis â but her sister, Serena, soon passed her, winning tournaments while Venus struggled to identify why she was so tired all the time. In 2011, Venus Williams was forced to withdraw from the US Open because she was finally diagnosed with Sjögrenâs syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can cause dry eyes, joint pain, and fatigue.Â
More than 4 million people in the US have Sjögrenâs syndrome â and nine out of 10 of them are women. Yeah, those numbers aren't great for us. Still, Venus isn't letting it hold her back: She's laughed off rumors of retirement and is focused on getting back on top in the tennis world.
Bella Hadid
It seems like Bella Hadid is everywhere: taking risks on red carpets, starring in controversial new campaigns, trying out new hairstyles⊠so itâs astonishing to discover she's actually suffered from Lyme disease for many years now, a chronic illness transferred by tick bites. When you have Lyme disease, tired doesn't even begin to cover how you feel.
While at the Global Lyme Alliance's second annual "Uniting for a Lyme-Free World" gala, Bella Hadid told the crowd:
"Life isn't always what it looks like on the outside, and the hardest part of this journey is to be judged by the way you look instead of the way you feel."
Jessie J
The âPrice Tagâ singer always looks physically flawless, but obviously, looks don't tell the whole story. She has Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which affects your heart, causing it to beat irregularly.Â
And while Jessie has been plagued by health problems related to her heart her whole life, she told Mornings she credits her illness for making her the performer she is today.
âI started writing the songs because I was sick,â she revealed. âThere are things that make you become you and make you feel confident enough to do it and that was my thing. I started writing songs because that was my get-out of feeling unwell and down, and Iâm still the same person.â
Zoe Saldana
Zoe Saldana has played some of the toughest ladies in space (see: "Star Trek," "Avatar," and "Guardians Of The Galaxy"), but she faces real physical challenges here on Earth, too. She told Net-a-Porter that she, along with her mother and her sisters, suffers from Hashimotoâs thyroiditis.
âYour body doesnât have the energy it needs to filter toxins, causing it to believe that it has an infection, so itâs always inflamed,â she explained. âYou create antibodies that attack your glands, so you have to eat clean.âÂ
Saldana said, "I would hear those conversations with my mom and grandma, thinking Iâd never get there. Iâm going to live forever! But all of a sudden it hits you. I shit you not, itâs from night to day.â
Julianne Hough
The âDancing With The Starsâ judge just opened up the other month about her battle with an invisible illness, telling Glamour she's one of the many women who suffer from endometriosis.Â
"For the longest time, I thought: This is the way my period is," she told Glamour*.* "I didn't want to complain, so I'd just deal with it and ignore it."
Yikes. Anyone whoâs ever been shamed for complaining about cramps can relate to that.
However, Hough is retaliating against that stigma now, acting as the spokeswoman for AbbVie's Get in the Know About ME in EndoMEtriosis campaign.
Amy Brenneman
"The Leftovers" star Amy Brenneman has been in the spotlight for decades â you've probably spotted her gracing your TV screen at some point over the years. But even though it seems like she's constantly working in television, Brenneman is also hard at work battling ulcerative colitis.
When Brenneman opened up to Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, she said, "It started subtly with cramping. Then urgency. Rushing to the restroom. Weight loss. Hair loss. Visits to a homeopath, naturopath, nutritionist, acupuncturist, and massage therapist. Countless medications and ultimately surgery."
And while the surgery was successful, Brenneman is continuing to work with the foundation to bring awareness, so others don't suffer from this illness like she did. Talk about tireless.
Selena Gomez
After she went to rehab in 2014, people instantly started speculating Selena had a drug problem. But the singer eventually cleared up the rumors, explaining she suffers from lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes joint pain and fatigue. Other side effects include depression and anxiety, so she went to rehab to deal with all of it.
âI needed time to just be OK,â she told GQ shortly afterward.Â
And that's amazing! No one should be shamed for needing to take time to take care of themselves, mentally or physically. It doesn't matter if the problem is glaringly obvious or completely invisible â taking care of your health should be a top priority.
