Selena Gomez Once Felt "Ashamed" By One Of Her Album Covers
It took her time to process why.
Though Selena Gomez is one of the best selling musicians of the last decade and a critically acclaim actor (among many other things), that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her own experiences with shame.
The Only Murders in the Building star and mental health advocate sat down for a Hollywood Reporter roundtable alongside fellow TV comedians Tracee Ellis Ross, Bridget Everett, Quinta Brunson, Molly Shannon, and Amy Schumer. During their conversation, Schumer mentioned that Gomez has been “sexualized at such a young age” while discussing self-esteem as working actors.
This spurred Gomez to share that she once second-guessed how much of her body she showed on an album cover. “I actually did an album cover, and I was really ashamed after I did it,” Gomez said. “I had to work through those feelings because I realized it was attached to something deeper that was going on.”
The cover left Gomez feeling not “necessarily happy” about having chosen to share it publicly. “I’ve done my best, at least I try, to be myself. I’m not an overly sexual person,” she said. “Sometimes I like to feel sexy, but that doesn’t mean it’s for somebody else. It can be for me.”
Gomez also told THR one of the reason she stays off social media is to avoid negative comments and unrealistic body expectations. “You’re seeing all of these other people [post these images] and I can’t look that way. It’s impossible,” she said. “I don’t find it attainable and the moment I’m not on it, everything else becomes real.”
Gomez has long been an advocate for her well-being, having previously opened up about her struggles with depression and anxiety. Earlier this year, she launched a new website and podcast, called Wondermind, that’s devoted mental health resources.
