The actress, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, limits her social media posts on the ailment because detractors feel it’s “for my ego.”
Selma Blair is speaking up about her reluctance to share information about her life with multiple sclerosis.
The 50-year-old actress, diagnosed with MS in 2018 and in remission since 2021, spoke about some lingering symptoms, including dystonic speech, exhaustion, movement difficulties, and a lack of appetite.
“I still have symptoms. I don’t have the utter weakness that I had for a long time, and if I focus on something properly and I’m awake, I can rectify it, but it often just takes a lot of work,” she said, ensuring that she can manage whatever comes her way. “I’m not afraid of this condition at all.”
While Blair has always been open about her MS journey, she recently acknowledged that she has begun to limit how often she shares her symptoms on social media due to “trolls” who claim she’s just using it as an excuse to talk about herself.
“I don’t share that as much on Instagram as I should because I can’t tell you how many trolls are like, ‘This narcissistic b—, she gives her caption, and then she talks about herself,’” she explained, referring to how she now includes caption descriptions for all of her Instagram photos to help those who are blind. “And I’m like, ‘Man, it’s not for my ego to characterize myself in my caption; it’s for the person being read to.’”
“We’re not used to thinking outside our social circle,” she said. “Seeing how much people didn’t recognize what they thought was my narcissism is just becoming more sensitive to other people’s needs was an epiphany for me.”
Learning to be more courteous to persons with impairments was a “freeing” experience for the Cruel Intentions actress.
“I grew up pretty fortunate in my thinking, not always having to consider other people,” she said. “And it feels much better to consider other people, and I don’t have as much concern about my ego in the same manner.”
Blair was frank about how her MS affects her life for the cover story of Self magazine’s January issue.
“I’m so much better now, but it still haunts my bodily cells,” she added. “Some people wake up two years later and say, ‘I’m healed! Colors are brighter!’ But I never had that experience; I stopped having a regression.”
MS, also known as the “invisible” disease, affects the central nervous system and is unpredictable, affecting different people in various ways. While this can make working in the entertainment industry difficult, Blair is determined to fight for her place — and the places of other individuals with disabilities — both in front of and behind the cameras.
“Sure, there is a spectrum of people’s skills, absolutely,” Blair said that organizations need to accept people from all walks of life.
“There’s just so much realizing that people feel burdened, and that takes away from your work,” the actress explained. “That detracts from your right to be there just as much as everyone else on the set.”
Blair’s approach is to embrace the mindset of “let’s get used to this.”
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