What is going on between Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez?
In recent months, Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber’s seemingly supportive friendship has come to an end. The musician and supermodel have been under constant media scrutiny due to their complicated past. However, the stars’ direct confrontations online have made it hard to believe that the drama is fully fabricated by the public this time.
A Breakdown
Selena Gomez, 30, and Justin Bieber, 29, were both thrust into stardom as adolescents. After meeting in 2009, their eight year-long on and off again relationship began. During this confusing time period, Bieber briefly dated a then-Hailey Baldwin who came from a Hollywood family of actors. In 2018, Bieber and Gomez finally called it quits, leaving their highly publicized relationship for good. However, this would not be the end of the pair making headlines together. The young bachelor shockingly dated and married Baldwin in the same year as the breakup.
The TikTok
According to an article published by The Independent, Hailey Bieber posted a TikTok mouthing to an audio that stated, “I’m not saying she deserved it, but I’m saying that God’s timing is always right.”
The deleted video resurfaced in January of 2023 and immediately caught the internet by surprise. Although the model denied this accusation, social media users speculated that the video was directed towards Gomez, who was already facing a wave of online hate at the time. Internet trolls commented and berated the musician’s weight gain related to lupus medication. The public believed that the TikTok posted while the singer was facing criticism was not a coincidence, but instead, Hailey Bieber saying that Gomez deserved the widely received hate. Supermodel Kendall Jenner was also in the problematic video, marking the start of another Kardashian-Jenner controversy.
Laminated Brows
In the following month, Gomez posted a lighthearted TikTok complaining about her over-laminated brows. Lamination is a current beauty trend where the hairs are brushed in an upward motion and chemically treated in order to achieve a bushy eyebrow. The harmless video became much more complicated after Kylie Jenner posted on her Instagram story with the caption “this was an accident???” near her brows, as stated in a Buzzfeed article. The next story post consisted of a screenshot with both Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner close to the camera on Facetime, only showing their brows. Many followers felt that there was no way the posts could be interpreted in a way that was not putting Gomez at the forefront of a joke. Gomez herself agreed that fans were misreading the situation, but speculations were once again fueled when she became extremely active on TikTok.
Commenting Hiatus
Elle Magazine highlighted the numerous instances in which Gomez blatantly responded to videos pertaining to the drama with Hailey Bieber. On Feb. 9, Gomez commented on a TikTok of a content creator describing the body shaming the singer has received online and referenced the video uploaded by Hailey Bieber. In response, Gomez said, “I don’t let these things get me down!” On Feb. 23, the singer defended Taylor Swift in the comments section of an old clip of Hailey Bieber gagging when someone mentioned Swift’s music. In addition, Gomez left positive comments to videos describing Gomez’s challenging past with ex Justin Bieber and one referring to the two supermodels as mean girls. Gomez also left a reply on TikTok agreeing that she and Hailey Bieber should be left alone on the same day, but the statement did little to shift the narrative. The digital encounters finally came to an end when Gomez went live on Instagram to announce her break from social media, saying “I’m too old for this.”
The End?
On March 24, Gomez posted on her Instagram story condemning people’s actions towards Hailey Bieber after a very short-lived social media break. A tweet created by Pop Crave displayed a screenshot of the story where it was noted that Hailey Bieber communicated that she had been receiving death threats. She left her followers with a statement that read, “I’ve always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop.” Soon after, Hailey Bieber responded to the Instagram story by posting one of her own. The model thanked Gomez for the acknowledgment and continued with her own sentiments about the harm social media can bring. With a simple follow back from Hailey Bieber, the drama concluded.
