Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber: A new era
Relationship drama has always been a hot topic of discussion amongst celebrities. A trend that I have noticed through these rumors and scandals is that more often then not, women get pitted against one another because of a man. There is a narrative constructed around the women involved that makes them look like the villains. The relationship drama becomes the only topic of discussion for the women involved. One particular string of drama in the past couple of years has been the so-called “feud” of Selena Gomez and Hailey Baldiwn.
This drama all started when Selena Gomez and pop-star, Justin Bieber broke things off for good in May of 2018 after being on-and-off in their relationship. Justin Bieber began dating Hailey Baldwin shortly after in June of 2018, with the pair tying the knot in September of 2018.
The two women, as well as Bieber, are known for having fans that are extremely dedicated and passionate about their idols. Following their marriage, Justin and Hailey faced messages of hate and dislike from Selena Gomez’s fans. Fans on both ends very quickly built the narrative that Selena and Hailey despised each other.
I believe that it is very important to talk about how easy it is for people to pit women against each other over a man. As a society, we need to do better by women and stop assuming that their whole persona revolves around a man. Hailey and Selena are both successful women that had their own careers before being involved with Justin.
The first official statement was given by Hailey Bieber last month when she went on the famous podcast, Call Her Daddy, hosted by Alex Cooper. Hailey stated explicitly that there is absolutely no drama between the two and that, “It's all respect. It's all love. That's also why I feel like if everybody on our side knows what happened and we're good and we could walk away from it with clarity and respect, then, like, that's fine.” Selena indirectly responded to the podcast days after it came out by going live on TikTok and saying, “I think some of the things that I don’t even need to be aware of are just vile and disgusting. And it's not fair because no one ever should be spoken to in the manner that I've seen”
The newest, and most significant progression in the timeline came to us on Saturday, October 18th from the Academy Museum Gala, where the two ladies got close and posed for a picture, taken by photographer Tyrell Hampton. No words needed to be accompanied by this picture as it spoke for itself. This photo was the best thing that Selena and Hailey could have done to finally fizzle out the hate and rumors that have circulated for so long. I believe that the photo was far better than anything the two could have said. Following Hailey’s appearance on Call Her Daddy, she still faced hate even though she made it clear that there was no feud between the two. A photo like the one they posed for is solid evidence that they are comfortable enough to share a laugh together. There was little room for interpretation with that photo.
The drama between the two women was completely twisted out of control and went on for too long. The photo that they took together was the best statement that the two ladies could’ve made for their own reputations. Pitting the two women against each other was very intense and harmful to both. It’s important to realize that these women are not the man that they date/marry and should not be viewed as only that. They are both working on their own projects and should be recognized for that, not as the girl who was/is with Justin Bieber. Let’s change the narrative and stop exclusively linking successful women with their male partners.
By Julissa Muro
Julissa Muro is a senior at San Diego State University. She is pursuing a Journalism degree with an emphasis in Public Relations and a minor in History. She has been interning with Chrome City PR since January 2022 and is excited to continue to grow within the business.