Get in loser, we’re going shopping!
At some point in time, everyone has either seen or heard of the infamous movie, Mean Girls. Starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey, and Amanda Seyfried, the film with so many one-liners and famous quotes has turned into a cultural phenomenon over the years. With reference to Gucci handbags, Juicy Couture tracksuits, blinged out sunglasses, and rich, blonde hair, there has been a development of a stereotype of what common female social media influencer or celebrities act like in LA and Hollywood. The latest victims of this projection: the Jenner sisters and—controversially—Hailey Bieber. The Jenner sisters aren’t surprising to say the least, as they’ve always grown up in the public eye and would be conditioned from childhood to live their lives this way. However, Hailey Bieber—formerly Hailey Baldwin—is a rising star that has only gained popularity and traction in the last couple of years due to her marriage with global superstar Justin Bieber. Recently, Hailey has been gaining media attention, but not for the right reasons. Growing up myself in the 2010’s where Justin Bieber’s popularity reigned supreme, I’m aware of Justin and Selena Gomez’s continuous relationship that lasted for almost a decade (on and off). A resurgence of this fixation on the drama between Justin, Selena, and Hailey has occurred after a controversial Tiktok Hailey made with Kendall Jenner and Justine Skye, and it seems like Selena’s name is still written in bold red ink in Hailey’s Burn Book.
Fans had speculated for years that there was animosity between Justin’s most famous ex-girlfriend and his most recent wife, but their suspicions were temporarily relieved when Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber posed for a photo together at a Hollywood get together. Hailey also appeared on a podcast called “Call Her Daddy” where she alluded to getting along with Selena and everything being well. Issues arose with a Tiktok video Hailey made alongside Kardashian family member Kendall Jenner and singer Justine Skye, the audio saying, “I’m not saying she deserved it, but God’s timing is always right.” The problem here—and the reason fans were starting to think Hailey was shading Selena—was that Gomez had, a few days prior, undergone bullying by people on the internet for her body image when she was photographed in a hot tub on vacation. The second dig Bieber made at Selena was when Gomez posted a video on Instagram, stating that she over-laminated her eyebrows and poked fun at herself. The Jenner sisters had a 2nd involvement in the drama when Kylie Jenner posted a picture of herself with the caption “This was an accident?” and followed it with a photo of her eyebrows while on Facetime with Hailey who also had the camera zoomed in on her eyebrows. Fans were livid over this information as it seemed that it couldn’t just be a coincidence.
Selena Gomez took to Instagram to explain that she didn’t want any hate surfacing towards specific people, and that she would be taking a small break from social media. The nail was thrown directly in the coffin when a video resurfaced of Hailey Bieber making fun of Taylor Swift, Selena’s best friend during an award show. Bieber was an MC and made a face when Taylor Swift’s name was mentioned. Gomez settled for a comment back, saying “so sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game.” People on the internet hit the ground running, quickly picking sides as Hailey Bieber lost a whopping 1 million followers since the drama began, and Kylie Jenner—because of her own involvement—lost over 500,000 followers, which (to date) makes Selena Gomez the most followed woman on Instagram with 381 million followers.
This whole debacle has opened a Pandora’s Box when it comes to Selena Gomez’s rough years in the business. It’s publicly known that, from some of her heartbreaking releases like The Heart Wants What It Wants and Lose You to Love Me that her time with Justin ended up breaking her in more ways than one. Years of rebounding and relapsing has culminated some damage, and Selena even said in a very recent interview with former Wizards of Waverly Place costars Jennifer Stone and David DeLuise that she ended up distancing herself from them and the rest of the cast (even though they were super tight knit for years afterwards) because she was embarrassed of the state she was in and that she “didn’t want to disappoint them.” Gomez has dealt with the foundational difficulties of being a young star—especially a young woman—in Hollywood, and her relationship with Justin being so toxic drove her mental health into the ground. Selena was then diagnosed with Lupus in 2015, and underwent surgery for a kidney transplant. Fans on social media have announced their dedicated support, and more and more people are rallying in support of her every day.
From a commoner’s eye, it’s hard to gauge what is really occurring behind closed doors. Due to our curious nature, we tend to pry and speculate on issues between those of premier status. Fans will continuously wait to get more information on what could be going on between the two of them, and whether or not Hailey and the Jenner sisters really clarify as the Mean Girls of Hollywood, or if—as per Selena’s Disney Channel theme song—everything is not what it seems.