Selena, Justin and Hailey drama
Society’s deeply-rooted misogyny pins the two women against each other
Jessica Mills / Arts & Culture Editor / The USD Vista
Trending across social media platforms, individuals from all over the globe have focused on three celebrities: Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez.
The two women have been at the center of gossip since 2018, following Justin and Hailey’s marriage only six months after his split from Selena and their on-again, off-again eight-year relationship.
Since then, both women have been highly scrutinized. Despite each publicly saying they hold no ill-will toward the other, many still take sides — Team Selena or Team Hailey.
Many social media posts and videos have brought up past events, made comparisons saying, in particular, that Hailey is copying Selena’s clothing, posts, behavior and choices.
Despite Justin notoriously treating both women poorly, many romanticize his character, wanting him to get back together with Selena, who’s openly spoken about how much trauma their relationship gave her.
Instead of playing into the drama and further pitting these two women against each other, many feel it’s time to address the real root of the drama: misogyny.
USD senior Paulina Smale is among those frustrated by this narrative.
“These two successful women aren’t being highlighted about their successes, only the drama about a man, and drama that is years old and not significant compared to their successes and their own businesses,” Smale said.
While both women have made posts alluding to the drama (for example: Selena’s post captioned, “Today is International Women’s Day and I want each of us to be gentler to ourselves”), Justin has not commented on the issue publicly, as Smale points out.
“I think it’s really interesting that Justin Bieber hasn’t made a comment, because it could so easily be hushed and shut down by his comment or saying that he supports both women and doesn’t support the fighting,” Smale explained.
Despite having a public and more recent relationship with singer The Weeknd, fans continue to romantically pair Selena and Justin together.
USD senior Brian Medina isn’t a fan of Justin Bieber or the way in which both women are being treated and pinned against one another.
“People often romanticize bad behavior and especially when it comes to men,” Medina said. “It shifts the focus from holding the men accountable onto the women that are hurt and affected by these individuals. It’s reflective of how the current society views this whole situation and especially how they idolize these people.”
In November 2022, Selena released a documentary, “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me,” depicting her life and detailing her struggle with lupus, her autoimmune illness, and her mental health. Shortly after, in a now-deleted post, Kendall Jenner, Hailey and their friend Justine Skye, lip-synced to an audio clip saying, “I’m not saying she deserved it, but I’m saying God’s timing is always right.”
Viewers called out their behavior, leaving comments on the video, saying that they’re mean girls and that it’s a clear jab at Selena saying that she deserves her physical and mental illnesses.
“I’ve noticed that Selena seems to be trying to better herself. She has an autoimmune disease that she’s working on and meanwhile with Hailey… I don’t really keep up to date with what she’s doing,” Medina explained.
The emphasis here is not to take sides with either woman, but to instead hold those accountable and break the pattern of engaging with misogynistic drama and agendas.