As you are probably aware, Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber were the couple of this generation. They had the attention of almost everybody whether it be because people were infatuated, or just truly envious. Even though they broke up in 2018, their 8 year romance left an impact on everyone to the point where most people just can’t let go — including Justin’s wife, Hailey Baldwin Bieber. Just a couple of months after Justin and Selena went their separate ways, he proposed to Hailey after they had been familiar with each other for quite some time. In my opinion and in the opinion of many others, the engagement was too fast and just so hard to believe. It seems as though even Hailey can’t believe it either since her insecurities have been seen recently more than ever. Regardless of the fact that she has a literal wedding ring on her finger, she is still devoted to proving her superiority to Selena Gomez, and it is not a good look.
If you have been keeping up with pop culture recently, the drama between Selena, Hailey, Kendall Jenner, and Kylie Jenner is on almost every single social media platform. Before I dive into the topic and cover all bases, I must clarify that by no means do I support women going against women; this however, is just the facts. Now, let’s get into it.
In Selena’s documentary, “My Mind and Me,” it shows all of her struggles in detail regarding her chronic illness (Lupus), and how her life as a profound celebrity has negatively impacted her mental health. After this documentary, she received a lot of recognition for being so strong and for continuing to fight through the difficulties. With this also came a ton of respect (more than what she already had) from people around the world. In relation to her illness, all of the medications that she takes in order to survive have caused her to gain weight, and while some people understand the reason behind it, some people are still cruel enough to body shame her. After recently seeing Selena’s appearances in a bikini, at award shows, and just in general, social media was quick to criticize her for the weight she put on. This is what first stirred the pot.
Around the same time that Selena was receiving hate for her weight, Hailey posted a TikTok with her two friends, Kendall Jenner and Justin Skye. In the TikTok that has now been deleted, you can see the three standing and lip syncing an audio while giving off very passive aggressive body language. The audio says, ‘I’m not saying she deserves it, but God’s timing is always right.” Many people have speculated that the TikTok was targeted towards Selena, and the fact that she deleted it seems to have confirmed it much more. The way that Gen Z has described Hailey and Kendall recently is that they are giving off major “mean girl” energy, and honestly, I agree.
Another example of how Hailey has been accused of shading Selena is an Instagram story that was posted by her other friend, Kylie Jenner. There has been a new eyebrow trend going on, and Selena decided to give it a try. She posted a video of how she looked after trying out the trend, and said that she had accidentally laminated her eyebrow too much. Shortly after, Kylie Jenner posted a picture to her Instagram story with a caption that read, “This was an accident???” She placed the caption right above her eyebrows, which causes speculation that it was a jab at Selena. To top it all off, Kylie also posted a screenshot of her and Hailey on FaceTime in which they both only showed their eyebrows on the screen. Fans were quick to jump on this given the background that Hailey has, and how she has always had it out for Selena due to her husband’s previous relationship.
Selena has made it very clear that she does not care about the hate she is receiving. She has kept it very classy and subtle which is very on brand for the Selena Gomez we all know and love. She responded to the hate she was receiving about her weight by stating, “I would much rather be healthy and take care of myself. My medications are important, and I believe they are what help me.” She also mentioned and clarified that she was “not a model,” and added, “I think they’re awesome, mind you, I’m just definitely not that”. Along with Selena being an all around woman, she also has a ton of respect from many people. In fact, after all of the drama that has been circulating recently, Selena Gomez is now the most followed woman on Instagram, dethroning Kylie Jenner. As of February 28, 2023, Selena has 390 million followers, while Kylie Jenner has 379 million. Kylie was at 382, but many people have chosen to unfollow her due to this incident which has made her lose an average of 3 million follows. As for Hailey, the main reason for conflict, many celebrities and other people have chosen to unfollow her as well.
Selena didn’t do anything to start this, nor does she have to do anything to resolve it. The world clearly knows how to handle this situation, and it is showing in the numbers and comments being made from people all around the world. While there is much more discussion regarding the topic, these events are what started everything. As always, I will root for my girl Selena at all costs. Her classiness, genuineness, and overall purity is remarkable and unmatched. She truly is an icon of this generation, and rightly so.