Emma Bodnar '25
The past two months have been full of viral celebrity moments - from Ariana deBose’s infamous BAFTA rap to Ke Huy Quan’s iconic selfies featuring fellow actors and actresses. Between numerous award ceremonies and highly anticipated releases, it’s a surprise that the internet has been consumed by a completely different matter.
Recently, the media has been split between Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez, as their longstanding and supposedly squashed feud was reignited in late February.
There is much alleged information and miscommunication, and so much mystery surrounding the ordeal that it’s nearly impossible to truly answer the question social media has been asking for weeks - what really happened between the two women, and why is it so significant?
Selena Gomez, once known for her numerous roles on Disney Channel, is now beloved for being so candid about her mental health and how her childhood of fame affected her. As an advocate for not only mental illness, but also physical ones too - such as lupus, a disease that she’s grappled with for years.
Constantly praised for her brutal honesty about her struggles with mental and physical handicaps, Selena still hasn’t escaped harassment from those who want her to rekindle her relationship with Justin Bieber, who she dated for a decade and broke up with in 2012. Although she’s since moved on, even going as far as to label the relationship “toxic”, Justin’s now-wife Hailey Bieber has been under fire for “bullying” and “copying” Selena.
In late February, Gomez posted a video making fun of herself for her over-lamented eyebrows. Later, Hailey posted screenshots of a facetime with Kylie Jenner as they zoomed in on their eyebrows, a perceived dig at Gomez’s TikTok which had been uploaded just hours before.
While both Bieber and Jenner denied the allegations, Gomez was seen commenting on fans’ posts about the drama and defended Taylor Swift after a video of Hailey Bieber mocking her was leaked. After Gomez took a short break from social media, she returned about a month later to address the death threats Bieber was receiving, calling for a stop.
Finally, the drama seems to have ceased, but it’s never too quick to tell if the internet is over it, too.
Although the internet seems to be over the drama for now, it’s mind-boggling to see how many people will jump on the bandwagon against someone if it’s popular enough.
It’s time to stop involving ourselves in other people’s lives and instead immerse ourselves in our own - if it isn’t our own problems, why feel the need to express a hurtful opinion? The death threats Bieber received were completely unnecessary and uncalled for, and it’s shocking to see how far fans will go for someone they’ve most likely never met.
For something as minor as laminated eyebrows, it’s safe to say that in some cases, certain social media users just don’t know when to quit.
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