Selena Gomez Opens up About Mental Health at Rare Beauty Summit

Selena Gomez spoke at the Rare Beauty Mental Health Summit this week. The mental health advocate opened up about her personal journey and the steps she has taken to protect her mental health.

The Rare Beauty founder attended the New York City event on Wednesday. The gathering marked the makeup brand’s third annual summit. 

During the event, Gomez spoke out about her own mental health journey. The Only Murders in the Building star shared her personal struggles and discussed the importance of establishing boundaries.

One of the steps the “Lose You to Love Me” singer addressed involves limiting her social media presence. The Selena + Chef host is currently the most followed woman in the world on Instagram, but attracting such a large audience can come with an overwhelming amount of pressure.

Gomez previously revealed, “​​At one point Instagram became my whole world, and it was really dangerous.” The pop star added, “In my early 20s, I felt like I wasn’t pretty enough. There was a whole period in my life when I thought I needed makeup and never wanted to be seen without it.”

The actress is no stranger to taking social media breaks. She previously went as far as deleting the app entirely from her phone and more recently decided to disable comments on her posts. “I disabled all my comments on my photos on Instagram for only my friends,” the star explained.

She asserted that the restriction is there to protect herself, despite receiving some backlash over the decision. “So I think I’ve created boundaries to help me. Obviously, people fussed about it. They fuss about everything,” she admitted. “I felt empowered by doing that,” the pop icon further revealed. “This is just for me.”

The “Calm Down” singer also emphasized the importance of being surrounded by positive people. “It’s all about, at the end of the day, for me, owning my power,” she stated. “And I am who I surround myself with.”

Moreover, Gomez affirmed that mental health is an ever-evolving journey. “I will always be working on my mental health, and I will always evolve,” she confessed. “I’m not better or worse than anyone. I’m simply just a person living and surviving every day.”

About the event itself, the brand owner remarked in a social media post, “Our 3rd annual @rarebeauty Mental Health Summit has me leaving inspired by the next generation, filled with so much hope, and grateful to each of you for being on this meaningful journey with us.” She expressed, “Mental health means so much to me and I’m honored we get to share this mission with the world together.”

Readers can support Rare Beauty’s dedication to mental health advocacy by donating to its Rare Impact Fund. The foundation aims to “reduce the stigma associated with mental health and give people access to the resources they need to support their mental well-being.” More information can be found on the charity’s website.