Selena Gomez’s mom Mandy Teefey is addressing the controversy surrounding Stefano Gabbana’s social media comment calling the pop star “ugly”

Selena Gomez’s mom Mandy Teefey is addressing the controversy surrounding Stefano Gabbana’s recent social media comment calling the pop star “ugly.”

The 13 Reasons Why producer told PEOPLE Now that “when someone has a desire to speak out about something by using a word so hateful,” instead of taking the comment to heart, “we ignore it.”

The designer, 55, was put on blast after he appeared to write “è proprio brutta,” in the comments section on The Catwalk Italia’s Instagram account, which roughly translates from Italian to English to “She’s so ugly.”

Following the hateful comment, Miley Cyrus quickly spoke out against the designer, writing, “Well what that dick head said (if it’s true) is f—ing false and total bull s—. She’s fine as f—,” in the comments on a throwback photo on the fan site Miley Follows. The photo showed the former Disney stars, both 25, hugging it out earlier in their careers.

Teefay went on to explain that another reason why she doesn’t get worked up over hurtful comments is because “9 [times] out of 10 if you reply, they go, ‘Oh my god, I’m your biggest fan.’ They just want to get a reaction.”

Instead, the producer explained the best strategy can be to just “disappear for a while and realize that’s their issue.”

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Teefey also opened up about what her 25-year-old daughter does when her battle with lupus takes a toll on her mood and mental state.

“She takes a break,” Gomez’s mother remarked, adding that the “Wolves” singer “even disappears from me and family” sometimes.

“She goes and does yoga, does retreats, [and] goes hiking,” Teefey explained, pointing out that one of the added difficulties is that some people question whether her daughter really suffers from the disease.

Dismissing the doubters, the producer remarked, “We’re not going to make up an illness.”

While addressing the constant speculation surrounding her daughter’s love life, Teefey joked that whenever she hears her daughter is dating someone new she asks, “Oh wow, is it working out?”

“You never know,” she continued, adding that sometimes it’s best to take the gossip with a “grain of salt.”

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Opening up about the kind of guy she’d like to see her daughter with, Teefey revealed there are three qualities she’s looking for.

“A sense of humor,” she began, adding that her daughter’s beau should also be “family-oriented” and “someone who truly understands the life that she lives.”

“I empathize with her a lot because could you imagine trying to find someone who isn’t in this business that understands, they’re gonna read she’s cheating every five minutes on them? That’s a special person,” she explained.

Continuing, she remarked, “I want them to care about her and not the fame and not trying to sell things or become something.”