Why Did Selena Gomez Face Change

Introduction to the Study

The media has historically played a large role in constructing celebrity personas and shaping public opinion about individuals in the public eye. This paper examines the portrayal and public perception of Selena Gomez’s physical appearance through the media within the context of Western and American societal beauty standards. Gomez was pursued as the research subject for her strong social media presence and public visibility, as well as her alleged plastic surgery. The attractiveness of Selena Gomez on the surface can be interpreted as largely irrelevant and not deserving of extensive analysis, and yet this manuscript will show otherwise.

Gomez is relevant as a research subject due to a solid conceptualization that critiques female beauty standards, as well as the importance of understanding the impact of media on self-concept. Additionally, by examining entertainment sites over time, and comparing government-funded health information as well, we argue that celebritization has created the opportunity for Selena Gomez to be established for a national audience as an attractive yet physically flawed—or less-than-“ideal”—celebrity. Though “internet time” moves quickly and online news is an evolving and rapidly changing technology, our study took place during a pandemic, a time of reflection, and so it is crucial to place our study in relation to Western symbology and consumerist culture and understand what this might reveal about societal progression from past to current ideals and understandings. Moreover, our study suggests that public opinion shifts with time as well, from fan love to cosmetic enhancement doubt. The purpose of this study is, first, to determine how the internet media distributes our understanding of Miss Gomez in terms of physical appearance as compared to government-based medical literature. And second, to determine if a significant gap exists between research goals.

Background and Context

One of the most prevalent topics found within current popular media is the coverage of various celebrities and public figures, especially in terms of their personal appearance. Since the release of her first studio album in 2013, Selena Gomez has emerged as an iconic cultural figure in both the music and acting industries. Given the role model disclosure, it is not surprising that female tweens consider celebrities, rather than parents, as their main role models. Although many studies have covered the subject, this is not the case for idols, who have been subject to extensive analysis in terms of identity and concepts such as idealization or the parasocial relationship. Fan worship has been investigated from a wide range of points of view, but rarely, if at all, do studies focus on how fans themselves are perceived. Selena Gomez’s twenty years in the industry have seen her challenged by those who are not fans. The impetus for this research was garnered from key statements made about celebrity bodies, in particular the claim, “We live in a really racist and classist environment. We’re not actually challenged to do much better, to be more evolved – for some reason we’re happy with the status quo.”

The concept of beauty, identity, and morality as portrayed in the media has been elaborated by a wide range of papers from individual viewpoints. However, there is a need for a full overview of studies from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and consideration of all the factors that have influenced ideals. As a Hollywood-based celebrity from a media-saturated era, Selena Gomez fits the scale of scrutiny women received in the past. Many people across the globe have a pantheon that spans history and culture, which includes singers, as well as those who narrate stories through film and television. Although narrative portrayal is not simply a by-product of the star image that delves into their lives and projects, these stories are vital in underpinning and echoing public perceptions. Given the challenges Gomez faces, she was chosen as the automatic selection from this pantheon, taken at thirty-minute intervals to speak to teenagers, who are at the peak period of impressionability.

The Evolution of Selena Gomez’s Image

In fall 2007, Selena Gomez’s cheerful greeting punctuated Wizards of Waverly Place’s catchy theme song each evening. The fresh-faced actress was Disney Channel’s juicy full moon, primped, primed, and ready to resume her ascent to the zenith of public acceptance. This text tracks “celebrity Selena”: from sanguine Disney Channel darling to major-label idol and from swansong you-might-know-me star to a performance of knowingness in crisis media. Like celebrity itself, she is, she was, and she shall be various things to various folks, all the while “not merely a product of advertising and industry machinations, but an active agent in [her] construction.” Celebrific immutability does not exist in a vacuum but arises within the crucible of celebrity’s production and reception.

Media portrayals of Selena Gomez have, as in those of most stars, evolved over time, sometimes fired by acute shifts in the star’s public or private comportment. The constant in Gomez’s narrative has been her march toward artistic and actualized exceptionalism, although the particular shape and desirability of that exceptionalism may vary: through her adolescence and early adulthood, interview snippets, pop songs, TV spots, and stills have variously positioned the singer-songwriter as perennial Disney Channel poster girl, mature musical moppet, hyper-responsible elder sister of an entire nation, perfect seraph of sensuality and self-possession, recovering child star, mature artist, personally outmoded but professionally on-trend actor, and crisis-stricken “E.R.A. woman.” To black youth and all others implicated in the systemic racial onus pejoratively explained as “adult” in our United States, Gomez’s identity crisis may have appeared – and may appear – disingenuous or expected, depending on perspective. And as surely as the sun sets in the west, some “fans” – particularly those invested in a star’s “caughtness” in some stage or state of adolescence – will, when Gomez emerges fully formed, most likely reject her for the only sin that matters in Hollywood celebrity: she will be remembered, by some, more for having the audacity to grow up and grow into her own persona than she will for anything else about her celebrity life and career.

Early Career and Disney Channel Era

Selena Gomez got her start in the entertainment industry during her early teens as a Disney Channel child star. She was part of the post-High School Musical era that positioned Disney as one of the leading influencers in popular culture. As a Disney Channel child star, audiences and fans were introduced to various characters played by Gomez that were characterized by her persona as America’s sweetheart. Her roles in Wizards of Waverly Place, Another Cinderella Story, Princess Protection Program, and Ramona and Beezus made her a relatable persona who personified innocence and the transformation of the ugly duckling into a swan. These films defined Gomez as a woman who valued family, friendship, and a ‘normal’ way of life that resonated with the primarily tween audience who followed her. Throughout this period, the Disney Channel, along with numerous teen magazines and media outlets, boasted about how relatable Gomez had become to America in such a short amount of time. Her voice was familiar, friendly, and kind to the poor and rich alike. Gomez came into public view when many of her other cast members on the Disney Channel left the network for other work, and this opportunity allowed her to take the lead in her own programming venture, Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place. The show was a success, extending to one movie for television and a second now-being-produced movie that also closely connects with the themes often found in Gomez’s Disney-era films. Much like the other characters she played during her tenure at Disney, her character as Alex Russo was restricted to a ‘damage-free’ persona—meaning she learned life lessons without becoming physically or emotionally bruised. In 2012, following the end of the Emmy-winning show after four seasons and 102 episodes, Gomez forayed into both the film and television markets on her own—which at the time was considered a very vulnerable, ambitious, and risky move on her part. This move defined Gomez as a transitional paradigm rather than a passing Disney fad. The shift away from Wizards of Waverly Place finally allowed Gomez to play a role with themes she was very much familiar with, although in a much more adult way. Gomez would later detail that this time in her life was one of the most challenging because of the conflicting views from both her management and her fan base.

Transition to Music and Film

Graphics have had an intense impact on today’s culture, as they are great at portraying the variance of individuals, making profit, expressing feelings, as well as stimulating behaviors such as body dissatisfaction. Angelina Jolie, Taylor Swift, and Selena Gomez serve as the ideal strategy for the first trio in the modern world that have blanketed their presence in a vast swathe. Discovered by the Disney Channel in 2002, Gomez worked as a youthful TV singer and performer. After having a baby, a concept she fell in love with for the first time, Gomez discovered her niche and endeavored hard to alter her own perspective to that of an established artist.

During interviews, Gomez emphasized that she would not go over her previous TV appearances or her personal difficulties since this was a challenging breakthrough in both her career and personal life. She also had a propensity to collaborate with good hit songwriters, and one instance was Elena Love. She began to feel the strain between how “outdated and young she was today” and speaking about every little problem one evening. As late as the end of 2013, it was speculated that she was looking to sign with Sony Music. Media has played a crucial part in promoting Gomez’s new accomplished singer stance. Although she is a talented acting celebrity, the music community observes her as diligently distanced and attempted hard to navigate beyond a couple of landscape directions and footage components during her 21st anniversary celebration scene. When Gomez sought to transition her title from a popular child celebrity to that of a sophisticated performer, she had to identify herself not as an old Disney television celebrity, but just as Selena Gomez, who also happens to bear a dignified TV headline. As far as social media networks realized, other fans continued to urge the “extensive” audience not to check out the film and music since it was of no interest. The Instagram phrase was ‘overused,’ “I’m not going to talk about anything else.” All over Twitter that night, the top trending volume was displaying its conception instantaneously throughout time.

Media Influence on Body Image

The media can significantly influence body image value and desirability. Although it tends to cover appearances rather than behavior or skills, it has an exceptional ability to reach audiences on an international scale. Many people consider beautiful celebrities to be the optimal standard to strive for when it comes to evaluating their attractiveness. High-profile news media also competes to print personal photographs of the stars, which are consistently viewed, interpreted, and, in the world of celebrity fashion, ridiculed. Given Selena’s fame, personal media coverage, and role as a spokesperson, the value of her body has been scrutinized more than many subjects. Selena’s role in encouraging communication from celebrity gossip sites exemplifies a precedent: fascination with famous bodies as representations of beauty.

Celebrity culture connects the star product to more general or normative ideas of “woman” in Western culture. Popular culture sites form “girl friendships” by making girls feel like they are involved in a super-friendship. A more subliminal, unintended result was the girls’ self-doubt. Taken with the “post-feminist” adolescence of women’s responsibility for dealing with consumer culture, body impairment, and insecurity, girls seem weak and overwhelmed with body-mass advertising exposure, which can lead to body resonance and body dissatisfaction among young men and women. Other studies have found that women’s affective responses to and evaluations of ads influence their perceptions of how their bodies look. Consequently, general cultural variations in reactions and evaluations might result in different outcomes of ad exposure. Increased absolute exposure to mass media was linked to higher body dissatisfaction. Media documents advertise the view that a lean body equals good mental health, something that was more reliable in isolation, but men with high body dissatisfaction and many internal controls may be inclined to overlook health disparities to adopt the current desirability idealization. Ultimately, adolescents’ and adults’ healthier use of media is in the hands of the media’s specialists and responsible for casting constructive debates on our beauties and the need for cosmetic assistance role models.

Celebrity Culture and Beauty Standards

Celebrities embody the pressures women face in cultural beauty standards but also act as icons who challenge and change societal norms, often simultaneously. Gomez is positioned against the beauty ideals of her time. The ultimate question, then, is how audiences of different ages perceive and understand the portrayal of the young singer. Thus, the study of “beautiful females” (and how fame may deepen or alleviate such judgments) is different from analyzing qualified and not natural “beauty queens” whose image is (mis)constructed by designers and found in high-fashion commodities, editorials, and advertising campaigns. This is not to say, of course, that magazines targeting pre-teens and teenagers do not also function as a part of the fashion and beauty industry. When conducting a content analysis of such magazines, researchers found that body dissatisfaction and weight loss related articles were significantly more common than found in earlier studies of larger, more mainstream fashion magazines that also targeted older females.

As stars shape cultural norms, they also present or shape fans’ self-esteem and identity. It is explained that stars were understood less in terms of understanding than of teasing. In such games of mimicry, dressing up as, acting like, and showing off, the self makes the figure of the star a mirror of itself. Interestingly, this glossy image should also portray everything else your mother would have wanted from a Hollywood princess. It is stated that self-esteem is at the heart of the brand and the new advertising campaign for the hair food product aims to present a more honest portrayal of what goes on behind the glamour; presenting a ‘real’ take on the haircare stories surrounding the bikini perfect ambassador in a fresh and beautiful way.

Impact of Social Media on Self-Perception

Addiction to Social Media

Imagine Instagram and Twitter as a room full of mirrors. You can always find a reflection of yourself, but also of others. And the longer we look in the mirror, the more we realize our own imperfections.

Psychologists have been studying our fascination with comparing ourselves to others for more than a century. From advertising and TV to beauty pageants, your grandparents have been doing it too. The idea that we judge ourselves by comparing the perfections of others has been popularized. Since then, decades of research show that the more we compare, the more we see ourselves as flawed. Roughly half of social media users admitted in a survey that seeing others’ idealized lives could make them feel worse about themselves. Those people post selfies, status updates, and photos of their own, seeking others’ approval. A few likes can give young people and adults a feeling of value. However, social media success is a constant comparison, and less favorable evaluations are harder to ignore. A reality star publicly stated she did not want Instagram to see her, and that she felt the platform set a standard, and that it was unusual.

We follow the most popular users, upload their photos, and comment to appreciate their photos. Some of the users follow the celebrities and influencers, and they try to upload photos in that manner, yet they did not reach the expectation. Thus, we need to rethink our approach to these comments. Social media provides a very powerful tool in which we communicate all aspects of personal information. We feel happy and comfortable sharing pictures on this platform. A picture is directly involved in the process of identity formation and social interaction. Therefore, comments also reflect on the user and how they feel about themselves. A significant percentage of girls said in a survey that the images they saw were digitally adjusted to make them more attractive, but also noted that thousands of girls under 15 years old felt pressured to wear a bikini or mini-skirt by skimpier and smaller clothes deemed ‘sexy.’

Comparison Culture and Filters

Thanks to the internet, comparisons are made on a grand scale now. A non-denominational Christian church in the United States sums it up: we compare our “behind-the-scenes” to everyone else’s “highlight reel,” and social media is the often exclusive vehicle for those highlight reels. A public figure boasts over 160 million followers on Instagram alone, providing exposure to over five times the population in her home country. Through Instagram and Twitter, the media constantly presents public figures, and our willingness to compare ourselves to these public figures handily offers a never-ending data stream of evidence to support this phenomenon. Though we seemingly acknowledge some version of this cycle, posts are born of “photo manipulation” and feeds are filled with digital enhancement. Digital enhancement refers to not only paid promotions, but the use of filters and mobile photo-editing apps as well. Such practices yield an unattainable appearance while subtly reminding the user that this sophisticated visual commentary represents reality.

How the engagement between the user and these mediated public figures influences the body image of many warrants attention. For these celebrities appear faultless, many may experience trepidation, dissatisfaction, or low self-worth when feeling unable to replicate their image. This section will address the psychological and sociological implications of a comparison culture, wrapping particularly around one celebrity. Throughout her career and rise to fame, she has faced external pressures to replicate an ideal appearance. Instagram has added another layer to this scrutiny, for users now compare their own appearance with an always “done-up” version of her. In response to such pressure and to promote a sense of authenticity, she typically captions many of her advantaged images emphasizing how they represent her everyday human self.

Psychological Effects of Body Shaming

In recent years, conversations around body shaming and self-love have gained increasing attention, but are generally framed as only within the realm of tabloid content and celebrity gossip. Despite the outward appearance, these often harmful conversations can dig deeper than surface scoops. We provide empirical evidence discussing the current conversation around body shaming and the perception of those who are body-shamed, based on pre-post survey data supporting the research study. After shedding light on the psychological detriment body shaming in the public realm can have, we discuss incidents to inform the degree to which society views the harmful behavior. One individual revealed that she experienced body shaming as a result of weight gain from medications she was on for her lupus diagnosis. Another individual subsequently talks about the issues of self-esteem and body dysmorphia she faced because of the extra weight. It is noted that there is chronic lupus, affecting up to 65% of people with the disease. Overall, what we found from proportioning our findings on body shaming from the media to our data of experiences with body shame from the general population, the public conversation is flawed and fails narratives surrounding actual experiences with body shaming.

The psychological and emotional effects of body shaming are often life-changing. Besides experiencing sudden bouts of depression or anxiety, constant exposure to criticism regarding one’s body can lead to persistent disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder, in which a person cannot stop thinking about a perceived flaw in their appearance that is either minor or can’t be seen by others. Not only can excessive self-criticism due to unrealistic body standards cause the production of cortisol—the main hormone in humans that responds to stress—but more severe outcomes include the development of eating disorders. Such disorders include bulimia nervosa—people are most concerned with their weight and shape and may have one or more episodes of binge eating or purging each week, affecting a significant number of women; anorexia nervosa—stigma is attached to those struggling with the disorder so that they may deny they have an illness, enabling them to minimize the health implications of their thinness, and a portion of anorexia sufferers also experience co-occurring mood disorders, depression, and anxiety.

Body Dysmorphia and Eating Disorders

Body dysmorphic disorder, or body dysmorphia, is an obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance. Those who suffer from an extreme fear of gaining weight, dislike for their body shape, and health concerns related to their weight are diagnosed with an eating disorder.

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental health illness. While only a small percentage of the adult population is diagnosed with BDD, a larger portion of that population is afflicted by an eating disorder. Media portrayals and societal expectations can offer triggers for both of these conditions and emphasize defective characteristics. Several instances have proven a direct correlation between discussions within the media and feelings of body dissatisfaction. One individual laments about being “with only supermodels,” which led to significant backlash and further downplayed fans’ self-worth. Another has struggled with body image issues for many years and has been known to take breaks from social media to escape additional shame.

Heavily reliant on societal pressures, both BDD and eating disorders can manifest in both men and women, often within the age range of 15-24, when one is transitioning through societal norms and expectations. New symptoms of BDD and the symptoms of an eating disorder have linkages with social media portrayals. Negative health behavior related to disordered eating, or the tasting of slimming desires and diet stress from seeing others’ photos, is a significant concern. There is an extreme need to make mental health as it relates to appearance an intense priority, as the consequences are severe.

Many individuals with BDD and an eating disorder have either been unable to access the conference presentation that demonstrates the extreme need to make this a primary focus of our mental health offerings to individuals across the developmental span. Early identification and treatment, ideally leading also to the shaping of family, school, and community environments that lift individuals up and free social norms from the current backlash and ridicule that continues to heighten these psychological conditions, should be primary to mental health initiatives. Both BDD and eating disorders respond strongly to the abuse that has become the societal norm. A trend appears to be shifting as pop culture has made some effort to address BDD and eating disorders, with discussions about the delicate body image balance of athletes and actors.

Celebrity Response to Criticism

Celebrities have become more vocal when addressing various body-shaming instances within the media. One celebrity has spoken publicly on the stigma surrounding weight gain and claims that she began to avoid activities such as social media and promotional events as a consequence. The singer hopes to spread her message of self-acceptance to others by becoming involved with non-profit organizations and taking to her social media accounts to speak out about the issue. A director of a message board and social change movement comments on the stigma associated with celebrities who do not fit a certain image. She claims, “We are not supportive of just one body ethos and believe it’s important that celebrities have the freedom to age, grow, and live their lives without judgment from the media.”

The pressures placed on celebrities by the media regarding physical appearance are ever-present and further complicated by fans. Often, fans will add to weight gain stigma by expressing their concern over a celebrity’s physical appearance, supplying a very real reason for the desire to conform to societal standards of beauty. Body image is introduced as a part of self-concept that has been overly emphasized by society. Cultural norms function as the reason for adherence to body image issues, assuming the result of women aspiring to reflect slim, attractive women rather than themselves. The desire to conform to these standards is apparent throughout history and the presence of high amounts of media coverage. As a result, public attitudes set the standard that celebrities follow. A resistance to those attitudes is unrealistic, and realistic responses are observed. In an immediate response, stars have said that they no longer care about the expectations placed on them. They have comfort in their own skin and are ultimately unphased by comments made by society. It is also suggested that many celebrities are left feeling defeated by the length of time they have been criticized and come out to publicly denounce such criticism.

Selena Gomez’s Statements on Body Image

Selena Gomez has given a good deal of interviews in which she discusses body image and self-acceptance. In this excerpt, Gomez revealed that she had “been working in therapy” during the May 2017 interview. She further explained, “I have really good people around me that are not afraid to say, ‘Hey, maybe do you think you have the wrong people around you?'” This makes it clear that Gomez has been working toward self-acceptance and love, and has recognized some of the sources of body shaming and her mental illness. Gomez has continued to freely discuss the trials and tribulations of overcoming her mental health issues, sharing a more open side of herself when she revealed that she had undergone a kidney transplant; as she explained, “I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my lupus and was recovering.”

Gomez expressed that one of the hardest parts was recovery, discussing how difficult it was and how she’s “not sure how to process these emotions.” This was a rare, raw glimpse inside an incredibly private person: Selena almost never talks about her personal life as it is. In 2018, Selena helped organize and participate in an event where she spoke about her own struggles with body image and mental health. During her speech, Gomez told the crowd, “You’re not alone, and I’m struggling just as much as you are. I actually did something a few months ago—I was in a rehab facility and I sought help.” She has also posted about self-acceptance, chronicling a girls’ night at a friend’s house, adding in the photo’s caption, “because you have to acknowledge the heal more than the hurt.” Regardless of her tendency to go back and forth between giving off a stance of powerful self-love messages and saying she’s delicate, vulnerable, and concerned about the influence of body shaming, the star could potentially decrease stigma about mental health and body image, reducing the risk that teens will avoid revealing personal information. Given her tremendous platform and the readiness of her fans to engage with her biography, words, and music, the potential to use her story as a medium through which the conversation could be elevated and reshaped is immense. Her profile and nontraditional beauty, as well as her willingness to take personal stances on her issues, make her an unusual positive representation.

Conclusion and Future Directions

This study aimed to provide empirical insight into the media portrayal of Selena Gomez’s body, as well as how the public perceives Selena Gomez’s physical appearance. The extent of media scrutiny provided some insights into the societal focus on weight. It is important to consider the complex implications for viewers enmeshed in a celebrity-obsessed culture. Finding self-worth tied to physical appearance in a society that values that appearance so highly is demeaning for all people and contributes to lowered self-esteem, low self-evaluation, self-objectification, social comparison, and gender role stereotyping. At the same time, the meaningful ways in which Selena Gomez has committed time and energy to her personal, professional, and intellectual development complicate the system of value that would reduce her to merely her looks. Her choice to defend her body and not alter the way it is portrayed suggests multiple meanings about the kind of audience she hopes to reach. We are living in a time in which individuals continue to broaden the ways they connect with one another, to situate themselves in ever-wider networks to engage in conversations over music, fashion, politics, and most aspects of lived experience. Research on celebrities and their meanings, including the meanings of the bodies of those celebrities, is further proof that the intimate connections between individual and community in various places everywhere are to be understood as fragments comprising the range of lived experiences under the pressure of reshaped demographics and heterogeneous populations. Bringing those multiple meanings back to the popular cultural texts that form a backdrop against which the interviews and surveys in this study were conceived provides the basis for recommendations for future media literacy efforts. Discussions may use the case of Selena Gomez’s body image as a means to teach strategies that would help individuals adopt a more critical stance toward representations of femininity in popular visual culture. Inclusion of multiple professional and lay voices reinforces the educational message in ways that would include a broad range of audiences in interventions. Such media education could have the potential to appeal to mixed-discipline undergraduate students in a variety of fields and may provide suggestions for educators to help students negotiate their preexisting biases. Topics for future research include the following; how race/ethnicity, educational level, and eating disorder symptomatology may relate to public perceptions of the singer or the impact varying social media used by viewers and readers may have on body image and further research regarding celebrities and mental health.

Implications for Media Literacy and Mental Health

The results of this study have several implications for media literacy and mental health initiatives. Media literacy is important as it provides the tools necessary to think critically about media content and its impact. As indicated by the increased body appreciation in those who completed the news interview assignment, media literacy can equip an individual with the skills to think critically about and resist the typical messages portrayed in the media. This is important, as it is the public’s ability to resist those media messages that leads to the possibility of enhanced body image perceptions despite the constant stream of skinny messages from the media. However, levels of media literacy are not very high, at least in terms of mental health literacy. Therefore, the results of this present study confirm the importance of programs in raising awareness of mental health issues and promoting the message that no body type should be stigmatized as it is not seen as a sign of positive mental health.

In consideration of the concept of media literacy, the data indicate that programs of mental health literacy and media studies are important. The development of programs that raise awareness of the negative impact that media have on body image, particularly in some groups, would be very important. Media literacy should address the fact that there is a high number of women who feel reduced to poor body image and who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder. Advocacy is another approach that could be used to encourage the media to take responsibility not to perpetuate the media’s negative body messages, and also to depict other role models who are shown as positive and healthy, and who are of average weight and parents. Having greater inclusion in media reporting will help the media as a whole to gain greater public insight on how news stories should be written. It is an ongoing challenge to develop programs that will engage teachers, mental health nurses, and adolescent mental health professionals. The state of the media has many elements, and it will need the efforts of multiple agencies with different types of expertise to engage them with the use of experts in body image studies working in collaboration with teachers and mental health experts.