For basically my entire life, I’ve thought of Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato as best friends. They were both cast in Barney & Friends when they were just 10 years old, and from there, they rose up the ranks of the Disney Channel stars together. They each had their own TV shows, movies, and music careers, and even some moments of drama, but at least in my head, they were always still kind of a package deal. Well, all good things must come to an end, and apparently that includes Demi and Selena’s friendship.
In a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Demi gets candid about her current relationships with some of her past Disney colleagues and friends. Basically, the only person “from that era” that she still talks to is Miley Cyrus, saying that she “loves her to death and always will.” But the other Disney Channel kids? Not so much. She confirmed that she’s no longer in touch with the Jonas Brothers, but the most shocking revelation was that she and Selena are no longer friends.
Demi and Selena have gone through their ups and downs in the past, but now it seems like things are pretty much done. The subject came up when talking about Demi’s comeback performance at this year’s GRAMMY Awards. After 18 months out of the spotlight following her overdose in 2018, Demi returned on music’s biggest night with a powerful performance of her new song, “Anyone.” Pretty much everyone cried (or at least I did), and Demi received an immense amount of support across social media.
One particular message, from Selena Gomez on her Instagram story, received a ton of attention:
At the time, many outlets reported on Selena’s post, and the general tone was that she was being sweet and supportive. But based on what Demi said in her new interview, it seems like she had mixed feelings about the Insta story. She said “When you grow up with somebody, you’re always going to have love for them. But I’m not friends with her, so felt…” The author notes that Demi stopped herself there, before adding, “I will always have love for her, and I wish everybody nothing but the best.”
Funny, I have the distinct feeling that Demi was about to say something that would’ve made this whole situation a whole lot more shady. If something went down to really end their friendship, then I can imagine that Demi might see Selena’s post as fake, or thirsty, or just unnecessary. It’s nice for Demi to say she has love for her and wish her the best, but that’s how I talk about my college friends that I would literally never want to hang out with again.
While we don’t know the specifics behind Demi and Selena’s current non-friendship, this isn’t the first time we’ve gotten wind of issues between them. Way back in 2010, they drifted apart for the first time, and Selena’s new friendship with Taylor Swift was to blame. When a fan asked Demi how Selena was doing, she famously responded, “ask Taylor.” God, I love when some decade-old shade still slaps. Here’s the video, which was definitely shot on a RAZR, god bless.
They came back together after that period, but feud rumors flared up again in 2014, when Demi unfollowed Selena on Twitter and Instagram. There’s nothing better than controversy that’s based on social media following and unfollowing, truly. In an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Demi (sort of) explained why she unfollowed Selena: “I think it’s just one of those things where people change and people grow apart.” I mean, there are people from high school that I will never talk to again but I still follow because it feels like the nice thing to do, but maybe I need to be pettier?
But Demi refollowed Selena the next year, and though they haven’t been super close publicly in the past few years, it’s been a long time since they’ve had any kind of drama in public. But of course, both Demi and Selena have been through major personal turmoil over the years, with tough breakups, physical health issues, and difficult struggles with mental health. I’d love to know specifically where things went wrong between them, but especially with everything they’ve had going on, sh*t happens.
So basically, we learned that Demi doesn’t talk to Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, or her ex Wilmer Valderrama (I’m happy about this), but she loves Miley Cyrus, and in case you haven’t been on Instagram, she’s quarantining with her hot new boyfriend Max Ehrich. Much to process, but it seems like she’s doing well. Good for her, but also I need her to slide into my DMs and tell me what went down with Selena. I need tea!!!
Images: Donato Sardella/Getty Images; ddlovato, selenagomez / Instagram; stephmccall / YouTube
Photo editors around the world are often guilty of a few things. Making women too thin, airbrushing every line from someone’s face, and strangely enough, pretending women don’t have armpits. I get the purpose of the first two: we, as a society, have decided looking sickly thin is most attractive and we’re currently trying to claw our way out of it, but most magazines and ads have not caught up. I blame Facetune for perpetuating this bullsh*t and making everyone think it’s okay to erase out their rib cages, too. The wrinkle erasing makes sense too because we also, as a society, are anti-aging, which is why so many people of my mother’s generation can’t move their faces. Neither can the cast of Vanderpump Rules, just because they are so afraid of aging. But like, I understand what they’re trying to do with those types of edits. They’re attempting to make everyone look young and thin. But seriously, what is the deal with the armpits?
Selena Gomez, one of the most beautiful women ever, posted some pics from her new music video:
And uh, I can’t help but notice something’s missing? Why are her arms growing directly out of her boobs? She should probably have that looked at by a doctor? I’m not sure why we’re at this point in photo editing where BASIC 👏 ANATOMY👏 RULES 👏 no longer apply, but come on, everyone has armpits, even celebrities! It’s how your arms connect to the rest of your body!
And BTW, this is not a hair removal effect. If you shave, you’ll still have follicles and pores showing. If you wax or laser and no longer have hair in the follicle, you still have creases and pits because that is how your arm attaches to the rest of you. I did laser hair removal, and I assure you, it does not laser off the entire armpit. This edit just makes you wonder, if they’re going so far to erase out something as basic as armpits, what else did they edit?
The second photo in the carousel shows that she kind of has real person armpits, but it’s a weird angle:
So I did some detective work to show you that this is not a real thing. But guess what?
There was more of this sh*t! Does Selena ask them to remove her armpits in every photo or is this just so widespread literally everyone does it now?
This one is a little better;
I mean, there’s at least a crease but it’s still smoothed out like she’s a Barbie doll!
It took me digging until 2015 to find a photo with Selena’s actual armpits still intact.
And it still totally looks like she got laser hair removal, btw. I would know, I am also pale with dark hair and you can see your follicles under the skin unless you wax/laser. But here is your proof! Selena Gomez DOES in fact have armpits. Like a real person! Celebrities, they’re just like us!
Case closed.
Now, if only we knew why they are constantly airbrushed out for no apparent reason? Do you guys notice when you see things like this airbrushed on celebrities? Do you think it’s creepy or that it actually looks better? How do you feel about women not being allowed to have armpits anymore to be considered attractive? What’s the weirdest airbrush job you’ve seen? LMK!
Giphy: Instagram (@selenagomez); Giphy
Right off the heels of Selena Gomez releasing a song about Justin Bieber (okay, so like, a few weeks), it seems like another member of the Justin/Selena/Hailey/Bella/Weeknd/Selena/wait-where-am-I love triangle is releasing a breakup anthem of their own. According to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, The Weeknd registered a song titled “Like Selena”. E! News initially found this out, and honestly, these people need an award because I didn’t even know the ASCAP was a thing, and I worked in the music industry for over two years after I graduated college. Okay, so maybe this is more of a personal problem. In any case, this was a great find.
So, it seems like Abel is back on his bullsh*t, because literally, what else could a song called “Like Selena” be about? Adding fuel to the fire are his recent Instagram story and post. Yesterday, he put up an extremely blurry photo with the caption “the fall starts tomorrow night”, which nobody has really bothered to explain why or how this points to a definite Selena diss track, but probably is loosely related to the fact that The Weeknd has a song called “The Fall”, a song called “King of the Fall”, and his 2014 tour bore the same name. Safe to say, this dude is really clumsy!
The Weeknd also posted the same picture to his stories, captioning it, “tomorrow night we start again.” We hear ya, Abel. It is going down tonight! We will keep our ears to the ground and Spotify memberships ready.
If the song really is about Gomez, it wouldn’t be the first time The Weeknd has talked about their relationship. His 2018 album My Dear Melancholy included what people think are clear references to Selena, with lyrics like “We found each other/I helped you out of a broken place/You gave me comfort/But falling for you was my mistake” (perhaps referencing how Selena and The Weeknd dated post-breakup with Justin Bieber and while Selena needed a kidney transplant); “Ooh, when no one know what love is/And I know it ain’t you for sure/You’d rather something toxic/So, I poison myself again, again/’Til I feel nothing” (probably alluding to her desire to get back with Bieber even though he objectively sucks for her); and my personal favorite, “I said I didn’t feel nothing, baby, but I lied/I almost cut a piece of myself for your life” (which seems like it’s saying Abel offered to donate his kidney to Selena… and I can’t even get a guy to commit to plans, smh).
The Weeknd has also used his other ex, Bella Hadid, as lyrical inspiration, singing on the same album, “Wasted times I spent with someone else/She wasn’t even half of you,” which seems like some clear Selena shade/attempted Bella flattery.
All this proves that The Weeknd is definitely not above writing songs about his exes. But will “Like Selena” actually be about Selena Gomez? Call me crazy, but I actually don’t think so. I think that’s too literal. Even in the past when The Weeknd has been clearly singing about his exes, he wasn’t so dense as to title his songs, like, “La Vita è Bella” or whatever the f*ck. So why would he take such a hard left turn and call her out by name, so long after his breakup with Gomez, when those feelings aren’t even as raw as they must have been in 2018?
When I read a song name like “Like Selena”, I think of songs like “White Iverson”, “Bill Gates”, “Moves Like Jagger”—songs that invoke a famous person’s name as a vehicle for boasting or a point of comparison. And when you think about it, I feel like we, the public, don’t know all that much about Selena Gomez to know what behavior would be “like” her. Ya know? Like, short of getting a kidney donated, what could I, the average listener, do that would be “like Selena”? No, I actually think there’s another answer here: the late Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, who was hugely influential as both a singer, model, actress, and fashion designer. Now that would be a tribute that would warrant using a first name in a song title. And it would also be incredible marketing, to get everyone all psyched for a shady ballad and instead get a homage banger.
Of course, I could easily be wrong, and that would be super embarrassing for me. Let me know if you buy my conspiracy theory or not!
Images: Shutterstock.com; thweekend / Instagram
There are many an issue that keep me up at night (and by “up at night” I mean until my self-designated bedtime of 11pm). For one, why won’t Dick Wolf give us at least one episode of Law & Order: SVU that features a shirtless Carisi? I’ve only been aggressively tweeting this suggestion at him for the last six seasons. Or, like, will I die alone? Then, of course, there’s also why the hell is everyone so obsessed with Selena Gomez?
Lately it feels like I can’t go one day without reading a headline about Selena Gomez. Whether it’s to psychoanalyze in minute detail each and every line of her new music or to report on the more hard-hitting stuff in her life, like her Instagram comments, the girl is f*cking everywhere. Her fame feels all-consuming, almost rabid, and on the same scale as mega celebrities like Beyoncé and Jennifer Aniston. Sometimes I feel like just uttering the words “Selena Gomez” on the internet sends people into a blood frenzy of speculation and gossip. The obsession with her is next level and her fans are beyond loyal. Case in point: she’s one of the world’s most followed people on Instagram, despite the fact that she hasn’t released a new album since 2015 and she’s not afraid to go dark on social media every few months.
The rabidness of her fan base feels a bit unwarranted. Now, don’t get it twisted, I am one of these rabid fans. I’ve been a huge fan of Selena’s ever since she was on Wizards of Waverly Place (RIP) and, quite frankly, carried the entire goddamn show. I still, to this day, go about vocally voicing at parties that if I could switch lives with anyone it would be Selena Gomez. And I say that with a straight face and everything!! But even I’m confused by her fame. I mean, what is she really famous for? Yeah, she publicly makes out with Justin Bieber once every four years, but that’s about how long it takes her to put out a new single too. I was under the impression that her fan base included me and any other person born in the 90s who got way too excited about Disney+. So, how does she stay so relevant? She’s sporadic at best with releasing new music, comes in and out of the public eye, and her last acting gig took place when side bangs and chunky belts were still in style. To put things into perspective, Brenda Song has the exact same resume, and you don’t see people salivating at the mouth to publish a story on who she’s feuding with on IG.
So what is it that makes her so goddamn popular? Sweetest Betch You’ll Ever Meet and I have discussed this issue AT LENGTH over Gchat at work (yes, we want to get fired, we’re begging for it actually). She’s of the mind that Selena’s rabid fan base has an underlying foundation of pity built into it, like how the media always writes her as the wronged woman in the Justin-Hailey Saga (kind of like how the media did to Jennifer Aniston about… everybody she was ever with). But, then again, these are also things Sweetest Betch has said about her coworker’s child whenever she visits the office and begs for quarters for the vending machine. I get what she’s saying, though: people love to root for a scorned woman, and no one has been burned more than Selena Gomez. Still, you’d think pity can only go so far. So, I want to break down Selena Gomez’s appeal one factor at a time.
Her Squad
I think part of Selena’s appeal is the way she flaunts her female friendships. If you take one look at her IG, you’ll see countless images of Selena with her friends—and not just the famous ones, either! (Though, for someone who claims to value her privacy, she certainly isn’t afraid to tout her high-profile relationships either *cough* Taylor Swift *cough, cough*). It gives people the impression that anyone can be a part of her squad. Like, that girl who starred in The Cutting Edge 4: Fire & Ice who gave Selena her spare kidney, or me a random fan who keeps flooding her DMs with positive affirmations she found on Pinterest.
And the way she showcases these friendships is honestly masterful. This is a girl who has ditched every friend she ever made any time Justin Bieber decides to slide back into her DMs, and we’re to believe she’s this self-partnered, girl power, feminist icon? Look, I love Selena, but do I think she would ditch girls night in a heartbeat if an ex texted her “hey”? You bet your ass I do. But, again, this is what makes her so relatable. Who among us hasn’t skipped out early during a girls night out just to meet up with a guy whose idea of romance is splitting the Uber pool? And despite her apparent flakiness with friendships, her girls still back her up, still welcome her back with open arms after a messy breakup. Seeing that kind of loyalty in her girl squad inspires loyalty in her fans.
She Leaves You Wanting More
Another part of her allure is the way she handles social media at the most high profile of times. Remember when she broke up with The Weeknd and started publicly hanging out with Justin Bieber like it was no big thing? Or that time we found out she was hospitalized and almost died? Or that time Justin Bieber GOT MARRIED to Hailey Baldwin two months after he and Selena broke up? Instead of posting cryptic IG stories about deserving more (I see you, Khloé Kardashian) or testing Instagram’s nipple visibility policy with thirst traps (I see YOU, Kylie Jenner) she just like, lived her life. She posted normal pics with friends at dinner or in sweat pants hanging at home, or she posted nothing at all. I remember thinking when the news broke about Justin and Hailey dating, “where is your feminine rage?” and, “blink once if you need me to key his car!!” Instead, she handled the situation by saying nothing at all. It’s like when someone leaves you on read—it makes you that much more interested in them.
She Seems Real AF
I think what really draws people to Selena Gomez more than anything else is that she seems really down-to-earth. She’s been open about her struggles with mental health and her body image. She’s just as likely to post a thirst trap pic as one of her pounding pasta. She’s not afraid to be vulnerable to the public, either. Let’s not forget that one time, fresh off of one her breakups with Justin Bieber, she started crying in the middle of her 2014 AMAs performance. Crying in public over an ex (or just a Ship bro who didn’t follow me back on IG) is sort of my thing, and I’m sorry but HOW CAN YOU NOT RELATE TO THAT.
So, there you have it: the allure of Selena Gomez as best as I can describe it. One day when I’m explaining this to my grandkids I can point to these three reasons as a valid excuse for following @JelenaGoals well into my 20s. I’m going to go with that, or I’m just going to assume her fan base is comprised entirely of Russian bots. It’s anyone’s guess!
Images: Shutterstock.com; Giphy (1); @selenagomez /Instagram (3)
Sometimes, celebrity feuds are messy, knock-down, drag-out wars. Other times, they’re so subtle that you almost miss them completely. This latest bit of drama between Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid falls into the latter camp, with the feud being so subtle I almost couldn’t figure out WTF was going on at first. That’s because it involved an Instagram follow, a comment, and a dirty delete. Grab your microscopes, everybody, because this sh*t that went down between Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid on Instagram is what we in the business call “minute and inconsequential.” But I’ve got nothing to do today (that’s a lie), so I’ll explain this entire scenario. As for why you should care about it, I’m sorry, I can’t explain that.
In order to understand why anyone would even take note of what Selena Gomez may or may not comment on Bella Hadid’s Instagram, you first have to understand the history of their friendship. Or, I guess I should say, lack thereof. Sources tell InTouch that Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid were never really friends per se, but they obviously knew of each other because they both A) are super famous and B) dated The Weeknd. Hating your boyfriend’s ex, simply because she used to date him? It’s a tale as old as time. In January 2017, when Bella learned that Selena was dating The Weeknd, she unfollowed her on Instagram. In March 2017, Selena and The Weeknd both unfollowed Bella Hadid in turn, which really has got to make me wonder what those two did for fun during their relationship. Like, they really sat around and mutually decided to unfollow Abel’s ex on Instagram? Couldn’t you just like, go for a walk instead?
But things seemed to have cooled down between Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid in May, when Bella liked an Instagram picture of Selena. I know, I know, this is all so stupid, why do I waste my time thinking about these people? I can’t say. It’s an asinine job, but somebody’s got to do it.
Well, the cold war between Bella and Selena started up again last night, when Bella posted a picture of herself. Selena Gomez commented “stunning” with the heart eyes emoji, and the next thing we knew, Bella deleted the pic. Fans quickly speculated that she deleted the photo because Selena had commented on it. While certainly possible, that would be extremely weird. If anything, wouldn’t you just delete Selena’s comment? Maybe the post just wasn’t getting good engagement… or maybe Bella didn’t realize Instagram is taking away likes. Or maybe she really is that bizarrely petty. I don’t know the girl, so I can’t say! (If it were me, then you could definitely say she’s just that bizarrely petty.)
This all became actual news when a Selena Gomez fan account posted Bella’s then-deleted picture and called attention to the dirty delete, writing, “She’s all about supporting women. You all just can’t take it nicely. Btw Ms Hadid deleted the post.” Or, put in a way that makes actual sense that you don’t have to re-read three times, “Selena Gomez is all about supporting women, Bella Hadid just can’t take a compliment and deleted the post.” Or maybe “you all” refers to people who may have commented on Selena’s initial comment? It’s hard to tell, and we’ll never know now that the original post with the comment has been deleted.
Selena Gomez commented “That sucks” with a sad face, and that’s it. That’s the drama. Selena Gomez tried to comment something nice on one of Bella Hadid’s Instagrams, so Bella responded by deleting the entire post. Lmao. I kind of love the ruthlessness of it all. It’s like, “my enemy commented on my post, so I’m gonna throw the whole post away—that will teach her to compliment me!” What a ridiculous power move.
UPDATE: It seems like I was probably right, and Bella Hadid didn’t delete her photo just because Selena Gomez commented on it. In a new Instagram caption (god, why can’t these people just release a statement through their publicist), Selena put the rumors to rest… sort of. In a comment on a pic Elle posted about the not-feud feud, Selena said, “NO. I shouldn’t of spoken without knowing the truth. I’m sorry. Please don’t be hurtful. She is a wonderful person and it is all a misunderstanding.”
Soooo I was probably right in that Bella deleted the original picture because it got bad engagement, or maybe she didn’t have the rights to post it, or something. Probably completely unrelated to Selena Gomez. Well, this has been a fun exercise in jumping to conclusions! Now, if you need me, I need to figure out what it means when Instagram said 15 minutes ago that someone was online two hours ago, and now it jumped to two days ago.
Images: commentsbycelebs / Instagram
For pretty much my entire adult life, everyone has been obsessed with Selena Gomez’s dating life, and it’s always revolved around one person: Justin Bieber. Even during Selena’s relationship with The Weeknd or Justin’s current marriage to Hailey Baldwin Bieber, people just can’t stop wondering if Selena and Justin were meant to be, or if they still think about each other. But with some vague Instagram stories on Tuesday, Selena Gomez made it seem like she might finally be moving on for good.
On Monday night, Selena surprised fans when she came on stage during Julia Michaels’ concert in LA to perform their duet “Anxiety.” If you can’t quite place the name Julia Michaels, she’s best known for her 2017 song “Issues,” which your hometown radio station still probably plays every 10 minutes. Anyway, She and Selena sang their song together on Monday night, and quickly kissed when Selena left the stage. With no additional context, I wouldn’t have thought anything of this kiss, but we’ll get back to it in a minute.
On Tuesday afternoon, Selena posted a series of Instagram stories showing her and Julia getting matching tattoos, because that’s the kind of thing that celebrities do. The tattoos are small arrows on each of their hands that point to each other, and Selena said on her story that her arrow points to Julia “forever.” Damn.
And then, after the tattoo pictures, Selena posted a heavily-filtered photo of the moment that she and Julia kissed onstage. The kiss may have been super brief, but from this photo, you would never know that. Whatever the reality of their relationship is, to me, posting a photo like this is designed to make people talk. A picture is worth a thousand words, and this picture says that Selena Gomez and Julia Michaels are really into each other.
But are they into each other romantically, or just as friends?
Since posting these photos, most of the headlines about Selena and Julia have been something along the lines of “BFFs Get Matching Tattoos After Sharing A Kiss,” which is a little weird to me. Sure, we don’t know any history of Selena or Julia dating women (Julia dated Lauv for several months last year), but we live in a time when it’s not a novel concept to be sexually fluid. Just look at Miley and Kaitlynn, or Cara Delevingne and Ashley Benson. I don’t know if Selena and Julia are dating, but judging from these posts, it uh…seems like a possibility.
Another important piece of this puzzle is Julia and Selena’s professional relationship. It’s not new information that they’re friends with each other, but Julia is also a co-writer on many of Selena Gomez’s songs, going all the way back to 2013. She has writing credits on major hits like “Hands To Myself” and “Bad Liar,” and, most importantly, both of Selena Gomez’s new songs. And in case you didn’t read our coverage, both of those songs are most definitely about Justin Bieber. To write so much together, Julia and Selena definitely already had a close relationship, but these last two songs show that they have a clear emotional intimacy, even if not a physical one.
Today is Julia Michaels’ birthday, but she celebrated on Sunday night because she’s on tour right now. Selena was in attendance, and she posted an Instagram that really doesn’t do anything to dissuade dating rumors. Personally, the only thing that I’m captioning “my love, my heart and my soul” is a pic of like, a really good brunch, but Selena and Julia obviously have a special bond.
Julia commented back on Selena’s photo, and again, they’re not making it look like they’re not dating.
I don’t know if Selena Gomez and Julia Michaels are dating, but wouldn’t it be badass if Selena got her first number-one song with a record about her ex that she co-wrote with her new girlfriend? But either way, it’s good that Selena seems happy again, and has emotionally supportive people around her. I’m also a little confused why so many tabloids seem determined to just call them “BFFs” and steer clear of any dating rumors, unless they have information that we don’t. Maybe they’re dating, maybe they’re not, but they did just post a photo of them kissing on social media. Call me old-fashioned, but that usually means something is going on. I also feel pretty confident that if this was two men kissing, tabloids would be all over gay rumors and speculation, but that’s a different rant for a different day.
We’ll be watching for any more signs that they’re together, or confirmation that this really was just a classic BFF kiss. Let me know your thoughts on a potential Jul-ena coupling, because I think I’m really into it.
Images: selenagomez (3), juliamichaels / Instagram
If yesterday was like Christmas, then Selena Gomez really is the gift that keeps on giving. On Tuesday night, she released her big comeback single “Lose You To Love Me,” and we spent most of yesterday processing the lyrics and the ensuing shade between Selena and Hailey Bieber. If I was Selena Gomez, I would be taking a f*cking nap right now, but no. Selena wasn’t done. She dropped another surprise song last night, and she also addressed the ~negativity~ that’s been going around. Basically, we have a lot to talk about.
Last night, Selena went on Instagram Live to talk with her fans, and share the surprise of her even newer new song, “Look At Her Now.” On the Live, Selena called the new song “my special gift to all of my ride or dies,” and shared that the new video was filmed on an iPhone. Idk what magical iPhone Selena Gomez has, because all of my videos still look pretty tragic compared to hers.
On Instagram Live, Selena also gave a message that some people took as being directed at the Hailey drama: “I will never stand for women tearing other women down, so please be kind to each other.” To be honest, I think it’s kind of a reach to assume this is about Hailey, but you never know. Selena Gomez has like, 150 million Instagram followers, so I’m sure she sees plenty of people being nasty in the comments. I doubt Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber are going to be getting brunch together anytime soon, but I’m going to assume we won’t be seeing any more of this feud play out publicly. We’ll have to stay tuned for when Justin starts releasing new music, and then maybe the claws will come out again, if we’re lucky.
But let’s get back to the new song. “Look At Her Now” is more of an uptempo EDM vibe, and it’s a far cry from the dreary piano ballad that Selena gave us yesterday. That being said, it’s definitely still about Justin. While the lyrics are a little less emo, they still deal with young love, and growing apart, and finding yourself.
“It was her first real lover
His too ’til he had another
Oh, God, when she found out
Trust levels went way down”
She also repeatedly says that she “dodged a bullet,” and sings about the women she’s grown into now. With the “dodged a bullet” line, I’m sure Hailey is currently writing in her burn book about how Selena Gomez is a fugly slut, but she hasn’t posted anything about it yet. Sad!
When you think about it, “Look At Her Now” is more or less the same song as “Lose You To Love Me,” just with more of a peppy beat and a chorus that’s made up of “mm-mm-mm” instead of actual words. A lyrical masterpiece if I’ve ever seen one. It’s what the kids would call a banger, and I can see this one being a big hit. Actually, I’m a big fan of this song, for the same reason I’m a big fan of most of Selena Gomez’s music. It’s catchy, fun to dance to, and it makes the most of Selena’s limited vocal talent. I mean, no one likes Selena Gomez music because they think Selena is a great singer, right? Right??
Now that Selena Gomez has cemented her comeback with back-to-back songs about Justin, I’m really curious to see where she goes from here. She said on Wednesday that she wrote “Lose You To Love Me” more than a year ago, and that she’s come a long way since then. Okay so…does she have anything else going on in her life besides ruminating on her relationship with Justin? I’m glad she’s getting all the Justin-based clout she can, but it’s not going to last forever. Stay tuned, I guess?
Here’s the full video for “Look At Her Now.” Have fun watching and pondering how the f*ck you get an iPhone video to look like that.
Images: Shutterstock; Selena Gomez / YouTube
Last night, I eagerly stayed up til midnight, like a kid on Christmas Eve hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa. But I wasn’t waiting for Santa, no, it was something even better: the long-awaited return of Selena Gomez. She hasn’t released an album since 2015, only a few one-off singles, none of which have really tackled her personal life. Since announcing her new song “Lose You To Love Me” last week, Selena has recently teased the drop with black and white photos and childhood pics, all with angsty captions about giving your all and being let down. In particular, the childhood photos feel pretty dark, and I was starting to wonder if Selena is like, okay?
Obviously, we all assumed the song was about Justin Bieber, and I was ready to write an article breaking down the most emo lyrics. Well, the song is definitely about Justin, and it has plenty of emo lyrics, like “rose-colored glasses all distorted,” but somehow, that’s not even the most interesting thing that’s happening here. The song is actually pretty good, but the real story here is Hailey Bieber vs. Selena Gomez, because the girls have officially gone wild.
The whole world knew that Selena’s song was coming out last night, and Hailey and Justin don’t live under a rock. They probably knew the song was coming out even before it was announced, and just from the title, I’m sure Justin knew it was going to be about him. I mean, it really didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. While Justin has kept quiet around the release of the song, Hailey posted an Instagram story less than an hour before the song’s release last night, and it’s hard not to draw a connection.
As you can see, Hailey just happened to be listening to “I’ll Kill You” by Summer Walker. Hmmm. It’s nothing unusual to post a screenshot of a song to Instagram, but the exact song and timing doesn’t feel like an accident. I love Summer Walker too, but I wouldn’t just accidentally post a song called “I’ll Kill You” to my Insta story 30 minutes before my husband’s ex released a song about him. I don’t know if Hailey is the smartest person in the world, but I don’t think she’s that clueless.
Given that the song came out in the middle of the night, I kind of assumed that would be the end of it for the day, but Selena Gomez wasn’t done. I guess it was only 9pm in LA when the song came out, so there was still ample time for shade. Over an hour after the song dropped, Selena hopped on Twitter and Instagram with a Notes app message (my favorite form of communication) that’s mostly about God but also definitely about Hailey.
To be honest, my eyes kind of glazed over during the parts about falling in love with Him and needing His love and falling to her knees—I’m happy she’s spiritually fulfilled, but the God talk isn’t my thing. But I perked back up just in time for the end of the note, which almost made me fall out of my f*cking chair.
“See the enemy keeps trying to tear me down and it’s just not gonna happen. Not today. Not the next..”
Ohhhhh my goodness. (I tried really hard not to take the Lord’s name in vain there.) I need a detailed description of exactly who Selena Gomez considers to be “the enemy” ASAP, but I have a few theories (that, again, are not rocket science). She could be straight-up referring to the devil, which would make sense with the Jesus-y vibes, but I have a feeling she’s either talking about the world in general and her “haters,” or more specifically to Justin and Hailey. THE ENEMY.
In her new song, one particularly telling lyric is “in two months, you replaced us like it was easy.” Now, some of the specific dates are a little fuzzy, but this part is crystal clear. Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez broke up for the last time in March 2018, and Justin and Hailey were seen hanging out together in—you guessed it—MAY 2018. TWO F*CKING MONTHS. Aside from the general sad tone of the song, this specific lyric suggests that Selena has still not forgiven Justin, and that she sees Hailey as the one who swooped in and took her man.
Selena Gomez is famously private, and I have a feeling she’s never going to talk about this publicly, so this Notes app message about Jesus is probably the closest we’re going to get to her throwing shade. I’ll take it. Really, I hope that Justin takes this as the perfect opportunity to drop his big comeback single, which will probably not be about Selena, but I want it anyway. Hailey, I could really give or take in this situation, but I will obviously analyze any future shady Instagram stories she posts.
Why do I care so much about these people? I won’t ever truly know, but damn, I care so much. Now, I’m going to go listen to “Lose You To Love Me” for any clues I missed the first 50 times, so please excuse me.
Images: Shutterstock.com; selenagomez (2), haileybieber / Instagram
