TRENDING

Selena Gomez isn't the world's most followed woman on Instagram for no reason. Between her acting career ranging from Wizards of Waverly Place to Only Murders in the Building, her chart-topping songs like "Lose You to Love Me," her inclusive makeup company Rare Beauty plus her down-to-earth personality, Selena Gomez has captured the hearts of many while developing an honest relationship with her loyal fans—aka Selenators—around the globe.

To celebrate our queen's 31st birthday today, we put together a list of five times throughout her 21-year-long career Selena Gomez reminded us (and her 426 million Instagram followers) why we will always love her.

1. When she launched Rare Beauty

@rarebeauty

On Sept. 3, 2020, Selena Gomez launched her own beauty line called Rare Beauty. According to Selena, the purpose of her line was to get all of us to "stop comparing ourselves to each other and start embracing our uniqueness." She said that being rare is about being comfortable in yourself: It's not about how other people see you, but how you see yourself. 

Did we mention that Rare Beauty donates 1% of its sales to the Rare Impact Fund, which gives people access to mental health recourses? If not for the high quality of the makeup, you can support Selena's beauty line because of her advocacy for mental health, which leads us to our next reason...

2. When she shared her mental health struggles in My Mind & Me

@selenagomez

Selena is known for speaking up about mental health in interviews—as well as on her various social media platforms. But she truly pulled back the curtain by letting fans take more than a sneak peek into her mental health in her Apple TV+ documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, which was released in Nov. 2022. 

The documentary shows many difficult moments of Selena's life, like her having a breakdown and canceling the rest of the Revival tour in 2016 due to her battles with bipolar disorder, panic attacks, anxiety and depression. Selena also discusses how her autoimmune disease lupus affects her daily and how she feels that being associated with ex-BF Justin Bieber overshadows her accomplishments.

Selena is a huge advocate for destigmatizing mental health, so this documentary was a much-needed reminder to us all that it's okay to not be okay.

3. Her unwavering support of BFF Taylor Swift

@selenagomez

If there's one iconic celebrity BFF duo we love, it's Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift. The famous pair became friends in 2008, and their bond has only strengthened throughout the course of their 15-year-long friendship. They have posted each other on their social media platforms, given us the deets on their relationship in interviews, celebrated birthdays, performed onstage as well as attended award shows together. Selena even played Taylor's arch-nemesis in her music video for "Bad Blood!"

In April, Selena and little sister Gracie attended Taylor's Eras Tour in Arlington, Texas. Selena posted the experience on Instagram with the sweetest caption:

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)

We *love* two supportive queens! We could all learn a lesson on navigating friendships from these two.

4. Her adorable relationship with 10-year-old sister Gracie

@selenagomez

Can you imagine being related to Selena Gomez?! Well, Gracie Teefey doesn't need to imagine since she is living our dream rn as Selena's little sister. Selena is always sharing their relationship online consisting of trolling and playful teasing—typical sibling shenanigans—and it's refreshingly relatable. But since Selena is still an A-list celebrity, she and Gracie have also attended red-carpet events together such as the Frozen 2 premiere in 2019 and the Golden Globe Awards this year.

In 2017, Selena stated on Instagram the empowering messages she hopes to instill in Gracie:

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)

Not only is Selena a role model to Gracie, but she's also a role model to all of us who are big sisters!

5. When she showed us there is strength in being vulnerable

@selenagomez

Over the course of her career, Selena has established an honest relationship with her fans by being real about her adversities, particularly about her ongoing battle with the autoimmune disease lupus.

In 2017, Selena got a kidney transplant thanks to her donor and friend Francia Raísa. Since then, Selena has openly talked about struggles with her body image. Due to weight fluctuations caused by her medications, Selena dealt with body-shamers online, which made her feel ashamed of gaining weight. She told her fans that the mean comments didn't bother her but later admitted she had lied to put on a brave face.

Selena made us realize that no matter how famous you are, you are still human—and humans don't deserve to feel less than. She taught us that showing emotion *isn't* a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. And Selena Gomez is a strong woman indeed. Happy birthday, Sel!

Can't get enough Selena Gomez content? Check out these posts:
 Selena Gomez on dating in the public eye, growing up, and the *real* inspiration behind “Lose You To Love Me"
 Selena Gomez's body positivity message is everything
 5 book recommendations from Selena Gomez

Why do *you* love Selena Gomez? Let us know on Instagram @girlslifemag!

Slider and top image: @selenagomez

by Danielle Phillip | 7/22/2023