Over the past few weeks, the drama between Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber has exploded into view once more and captivated all social media sites. The nature of this controversy has caused two distinct sides in this long-term scandal: #TeamSelena and #TeamHailey.
Spoiler alert, the internet has widely advocated for #TeamSelena all the way.
The drama all started with the famous actress, singer, and businesswoman, Selena Gomez sharing a clip of herself accidently over-laminating her eyebrows. Fans began to speculate that there was some bad blood when Kylie Jenner, American media personality, and businesswoman, posted an Instagram story soon after of her own laminated eyebrows.
Many believed this was shade towards the actress after Selena had passed her on Instagram, becoming the most followed person as of today.
Some quickly took this all to a coincidence, however Kylie followed up by posting a close up of her and Hailey Bieber’s eyebrows the next slide. This was the tipping point for many Selena stans as Hailey Bieber was notoriously known for being extremely shady towards Selena.
Hailey Bieber, child of the well-known Baldwin family and spouse to Justin Bieber, has shown her obsession with the popstar since Selena and Justin dated as teens.
Numerous individuals have recently discovered a series of coincidences involving Hailey Bieber. Such included exact outfit and makeup looks of Selena replicated days later in front of paparazzi on many occasions, nearly identical posts with similar captions, to shade-encrypted tweets and posts taking jabs at Selena’s body after her Lupus diagnosis.
Drama between two women about a man can be transfixing to young women because it taps into societal norms and stereotypes about women competing for men’s attention and affection. These gendered expectations can cause insecurity, rivalry, and comparison among women, which can be amplified in the context of a romantic relationship.
Girls are often socialized from a young age to prioritize relationships with boys and to see romantic relationships as central to their lives. According to COR Experience, women are conditioned to focus their care on others before themselves. Simultaneously, they are frequently taught to be passive and deferential in romantic relationships, which can lead to feelings of insecurity and dependence.
The audience can see just how Hailey has projected her jealousy or even admiration of her husband’s previous ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez with the many attempts to copy very specific aspects of Selena’s life. Many believe that this is an attempt to win the same attention he had for his ex-lover many years ago.
Since then, fans have found countless other instances of Hailey Bieber’s fixation on Selena Gomez and slowly but surely the celebrity world has too subtly taken their sides with a few even unfollowing Hailey Bieber for her “mean girl” reputation.
This obsession has seemed to truly impact all aspects of the Biebers’ life and although it was all believed to be a joke, fans have moved on to placing the blame on Justin as the reason for Hailey’s acting out. At one of Justin’s concerts, fans were heard chanting “F*ck Hailey” as he walked off stage. Some theorize that this may be one of the reasons he cancelled his tour.
With the very public past between the ex-lovers and tattoo of Selena on Justin’s arm, fans speculate that that the motive has been jealousy all along.
Over the years, social media, and various forms of entertainment have portrayed jealousy as a normal part of relationships. This can contribute to the normalization of female jealousy and competition, as well as reinforce the notion that women’s worth is determined by their ability to attract and retain a man.
Furthermore, many women have been in similar situations in their own lives or through media and entertainment, making it relatable and compelling.
However, as the spectacle develops many are reconsidering whether the hate Hailey is receiving is actually justified.
“I don’t know if I’d say that it’s justified because she’s just a shady and jealous little girl but aren’t we all? But being a celebrity and doing the things she’s done and saying what she’s been saying, will get reactions out of people so she had to expect this,” says Francesca Lascano (‘23). “Justified is a strong word because I believe in the quote ‘make love, not war,’ but I don’t like her in other words.”
Most recently, Selena posted an Instagram story that may have halted the drama.
“Hailey Bieber reached out to me and let me know that she has been receiving death threats and such hateful negativity. This isn’t what I stand for. No one should have to experience hate or bullying. I’ve always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop.”
Fans have had mixed emotions to this, some on the side of the drama to end, but most still in defense of Selena for being “too nice,” staying true to one of her hit songs, “Kill Em With Kindness.”
With both women on seemingly good terms with one another now, we have yet to see how this plays out. Will this end Hailey Bieber’s long-term obsession with Selena Gomez, or was this a front for media?
