Selena Gomez opens up about her split from Justin Bieber and the social media rift that came with it.
The Rare Beauty cosmetics founder and Only Murders in the Building star has taken several extended breaks from Instagram in recent years – and now reveals that her 2018 split from Bieber after eight years together was partly to blame.
“I just got my heart broken.” she told Fast Company in an interview published Tuesday. “Then there were moments when I didn’t feel positive about my appearance because of what I saw on Instagram. Wow, I wish my body looked like that.”
Gomez added that her self-esteem was also affected at the time, as the young entrepreneur “had the body of a teenager” when she was dating Bieber – and that suddenly “none of the sample sizes fit, and that would embarrass me.”
She continued, “But how unrealistic is it to expect a normal woman’s body not to change?”
Gomez was the most followed woman on Instagram when she deleted the app from her phone. The then 26-year-old former Disney star reportedly gave his assistant full control of her account. In the same year, 2018, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
According to the Mayo ClinicBipolar disorder causes severe mood swings and hopelessness if not treated with medication.
While Gomez kept the affair under wraps until 2020, Bieber began dating Hailey Baldwin just months after her split from Gomez – in June 2018 – and got engaged to the model in July. The couple officially tied the knot in September of the same year.
Dealing with heartbreak, social media pressure and a new mental health diagnosis has been overwhelming for Gomez, who told Fast Company she “grew up loving people.”
Evan Agostini/Invision/Associated Press
Her public life was also exacerbated by constant comparisons.
“I’m not unavailable,” she told the outlet. “I look at someone like Beyoncé and I’m amazed. My jaw drops. Every part of her is just flawless and just so beautiful. I went to her show and was blown away. But that’s just not who I am, and that’s okay.”
“I’m me, and I’m a little silly, but I also like to be sexy and fun, and I also want to make good use of the time I have here,” she continued. “We need goddesses like Beyoncé and Adele. But I’m just happy to be your best friend.”
Gomez said she is now focused on combating the “beauty myth” and the pervasive “obsession with physical perfection” among women. In 2020, she founded the Rare Impact Fund and her cosmetics line Rare Beauty, pledging to donate 1% of all sales to the fund.
As the website explainsThe Rare Impact Fund is committed to “raising $100 million over the next decade to improve access to mental health services and education for young people around the world.”
“It has been my greatest dream to make a positive difference in this world, and each of us has a role to play,” Gomez wrote on the website. “I hope that by sharing my own story and using my platforms well, we can give more young people the opportunity to address their mental health.”
If you or someone you know needs help, call 988, text or chat 988lifeline.org to support mental health. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside the United States, please visit International Association for Suicide Prevention.
