She may only be 27 years old, but Selena Gomez has already faced more challenges than most people do in a lifetime – and in the public eye, no less. The singer, actor, and producer has undergone a life-saving surgery, received two difficult diagnoses, and dealt with one of the most public breakups in celebrity history, all while balancing her many television, film, music, and humanitarian projects. She’s an outspoken queen and refreshingly honest with her fans, but no matter how much you may know about Selena, we bet there are a few things that still may surprise you. Here are just 10 fascinating facts about Selena that will make you see her in a whole new light.
Related: A Complete Guide to What All of Selena Gomez's Tattoos Mean
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She Feels Like She Represents Latinxs
During a February 2020 conversation with Bad Bunny, which was published in Dazed, Selena spoke about how proud she is of her Latin heritage and how, even though she primarily sings in English, she still feels like she represents Latinxs everywhere. “I have such an appreciation for my last name,” she said. “I’ve rereleased a lot of music in Spanish as well, and that’s something that’s gonna happen a bit more. So there’s a lot more I would love to do because I don’t take it lightly. I’m very honored.”
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Getting Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder Was a Relief For Her
While chatting with Miley Cyrus in April 2020 on Miley’s Bright Minded IG live stream, Selena revealed that receiving an official diagnosis of bipolar disorder allowed her to better understand herself. “When I have more information, it actually helps me. It doesn’t scare me once I know it,” she explained. ” . . . when I was younger, I was scared of thunderstorms and my mom bought me all these books on thunderstorms and she was like, ‘The more you educate yourself on this, the more that you’re not going to be afraid.’ It completely worked. That’s something that helps me big time.”
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She Stopped Making Sexy Music Videos Because of Her Little Sister
During her iHeartRadio release party for her third solo studio album, Rare, the music video for “Hands to Myself” unexpectedly played, and Selena felt embarrassed by it – especially because Gracie, her 6-year-old maternal half-sister, was in attendance. In a January 2020 Q&A with KIIS FM’s JoJo Wright, Selena said that, after this incident, she vowed to no longer make “overtly sexual” music videos going forward. “I told my sister I will not be doing videos like that anymore,” Selena recounted. “It’s not really necessary, in my opinion.”
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She Used to Be Terrified to Speak Her Mind
In January 2020, Selena confessed to Billboard that, before releasing her very personal album Rare, she often held her tongue rather than sharing her opinions and struggles, as she was afraid of alienating or insulting anyone. “I wouldn’t want to say the wrong thing, and I wouldn’t want people to think that I had any other motive, other than just being a kind person – though that is who I am and I am proud of that,” she explained. “I was just done, you know? Just done being silent, and I felt like I deserved to have a moment for myself, after going through so much and throwing that all into this album.”
