Earlier this month, it was revealed that Selena Gomez quietly completed a two-week treatment program for her anxiety and depression in January, with the support of her committed gentlemanly boyfriend Justin Bieber, of course. And in a new interview with 13 Reasons Why star Katherine Langford for Harper's Bazaar, Gomez spoke frankly about her mental health struggles and how she's found peace with them.
2018 is going to be a better year, Gomez said, 'because I believe that for myself. And anyone who knows me knows I will always start with my health and my well-being. I've had a lot of issues with depression and anxiety, and I've been very vocal about it, but it's not something I feel I'll ever overcome. There won't be a day when I'm like, 'Here I am in a pretty dress—I won!' I think it's a battle I'm gonna have to face for the rest of my life, and I'm okay with that because I know that I'm choosing myself over anything else.'
'I'm starting my year off with that thought,' she continued. 'I want to make sure I'm healthy. If that's good, everything else will fall into place. I don't really set goals 'cause I don't want to be disappointed if I don't reach them, but I do want to work on my music too. My next album has been forever in the making. When people ask me why, I'm honest about it: It's because I haven't been ready. I mean, point-blank, I don't feel confident enough in where my music is yet. If that takes 10 years, then it takes 10 years. I don't care. Right now I just want to be super intentional with all of the things I'm doing.'
Gomez also admitted she has a 'complex relationship with Instagram,' where she is the most followed celeb, when it comes to what's private and public in her life. '[Instagram] has given me a voice amid all the noise of people trying to narrate my life for me and allows me to say, 'Hey, I'm gonna post this, and this is gonna take care of the 1,200 stories that people think are interesting but actually aren't, and aren't even true.' So it empowers me in that way because it's my words and my voice and my truth. The only thing that worries me is how much value people our age place on social media. It's an incredible platform, but in a lot of ways it's given young people, myself included, a false representation of what's important. So, yeah, it's a complex relationship. Probably one of my most difficult relationships.'
During a lighter moment, Gomez told Langford who her biggest female role models are: Meryl Streep, Grace VanderWaal, and Amal Clooney. 'I really love Amal Clooney. I know that sounds weird, but I've read a lot about her. She's just incredible, the way she speaks and what she fights for. I guess I'm a bit all over the place.'
Read the full Gomez interview at Harper's Bazaar here. She talks about her typical Saturday night ('I love going to Chili's and having queso and chips.') and defends millennials.
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
