Selena Gomez recalled the immense pressure she felt to be a role model as a teenager.
Selena got started on Barney & Friends before finding fame at 15 on Wizards of Waverly Place. Her role as Alex Russo made her a teen icon and propelled her acting and singing career.
But with that came the responsibility of being a role model to her young adoring fans — and in a new interview, Selena shared the “overwhelming” moment where that first clicked for her.
“I remember when I realized that that was coming into play,” she told the Hollywood Reporter of her influence. “We’d do live tapings every Friday for Wizards, and they were my favorite part. And we’d meet everybody after the taping, and this little girl came up to me, and she had a picture of me from a J-14 magazine in this Abercrombie sweater, jeans, and flats. She showed me the picture, and she goes, ‘I bought it.'”
Selena, 32, estimates being 16 at the time and recalled feeling instantly “overwhelmed.”
“I looked at her, and [she was wearing the same outfit],” she remembered. “I had to have been 16, and she was like 12, and I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh.'”
“It may sound minute, but it was so overwhelming,” Selena admitted. “So, I think I put the pressure on myself more than anybody else put it on me, and it’s because I was so scared of making a mistake because suddenly it wasn’t about me. It was about, well, what would people say or think?”
“The documentary was me finally taking a breath and saying, ‘OK, so everything I’ve been trying to be this whole time, I’m a little exhausted and here’s why,'” she shared. “And it was a nice release, but I don’t want people to think that’s where I am anymore. I was very happy to share my story, but I want to make it crystal clear that that was a capsule of a time in my life and I truly believe I won’t be there again because I am properly medicated and I’m seeing people and I’m taking care of myself.”
Read the full interview here and share your thoughts on Selena’s comments below.