Most of us can admit that we are suckers for Hollywood drama. It’s a nice escape from time to time. We all follow those accounts that constantly share and update about where this celebrity is, what they’re wearing, or even who they’re going out with. And there’s always that certain couple everyone always seems to be rooting for but others can’t understand why. It’s safe to say that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, a.k.a. Jelena, are one of those couples. The rumor mill is constantly spinning. Instead of getting to the bottom of this and what these meetings between them could mean, we’re going to let you know why this relationship shouldn’t be taken lightly.
They’ve been on and off for quite some time, though both of them have had their share of other significant others. Selena Gomez and The Weeknd had not been officially announced as broken up before evidence of Justin and Selena meeting up surfaced. This can be problematic as maybe we can all agree that if Justin had been in Selena’s shoes he would be called out and branded as a cheater. A day passed after The Weeknd, Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, unfollowed most of Selena’s closest people including her friend Francia–that has been recognized recently for donating her kidney–, and she was already with her ex boo.
After 10 months together, Selena Gomez and The Weeknd split up and, curiously enough, it only took one day for Selena and Justin to start hanging out once again. It had been the first time in 2 years since November 2015 that the two had been spotted publicly together. And boy did Twitter go insane! They were pictured eating together, riding bicycles together, and up until a few days ago, Selena had went to a conference with him, and even joined him at a hockey game. Most sources like E! News claim they’re just catching up, but social media and fans of the infamous couple are quick to romanticize.
In reality, the problem isn’t the media and all the photos, it’s the kind of support they seem to be getting from people, without understanding how toxic Selena and Justin were to each other. They have only been hanging out for a few days, and the tabloids have been eating it up. There is no such thing as bad publicity, as some would say.
We all know the story. They were both pretty young when they first got together, and then we all know Justin’s downward spiral that was very much public after their constant on and off moments. As well, there was also a bad reaction from Selena, to where she made videos dancing to music with lyrics that threw shade at Justin, comparing him to a dog, her friends tweeting more shady things (let’s not forget Taylor Swift’s reaction from seeing them together), and even Selena admitting to being proud of making Justin cry.
It may seem romantic to find a couple that seems to be together against all odds. We all would love something like this, but in reality it’s truly problematic. This narrative exposes an often recurring problem of people focusing on the “good” bits of a relationship, versus the obviously bad things that often happen, that should not allow a relationship to continue. The signs of a toxic relationship are there, such as playing the blame game publicly and avoiding each other in public areas, which they did during most of their time apart; it just takes time for people to realize it. This often reflects on the people who spread and rave over these relationships. Often themselves don’t know how to identify toxic behavior, which leads to heartbreak and bad actions. Being public figures and seeing how quickly this blew up, it is evident that they are under a very bold spotlight, which does not help their situation. They are an example to those who are part of their audience, and this creates a false idea of perfection and what is romantic really. Both Justin and Selena deserve better and reuniting might not be the answer.