The media loves to see rivalry.
It craves the illicit dirty looks, the subtle jabs, and the cryptic Instagram captions. It is exemplified by conflict and feeds off the absence of assent. Headlines stir the pot, comment sections brew with speculation, and dissension sells. In whole, it feeds on the illusion that two people cannot exist without dispute.
In recent months, few pairs have been more exhaustively entangled in manufactured tension than socialites Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber. This antagonism is more than just contemporary; however, as its fallacious, demeaning facets have roots spurring from almost a decade ago. From 2010 to 2018, Selena was involved in a highly publicized, on-and-off relationship with Hailey’s now-husband, child superstar Justin Bieber. Fans were heavily entranced by the nature of their relationship, and “Jelena,” as it had been dubbed, captivated followers with the promise of a seemingly perpetual celebrity romance between two of the most revered stars of the 2010s. However, when the two ended up breaking up in 2018, fans were outraged and spun themselves into a period of “mourning,” as J. Bieber, only months after he and Gomez broke ties, proposed to model Bieber. Since their marriage months after his proposal, the three have long been embroiled in a media frenzy with both parties involved.
Following a short period of subdued controversy after their marriage, the cataclysm has been on the rise once again, much due to Gomez’s recent engagement to producer Benny Blanco. In light of this event, the rampant “Jelena” fans have made their presence known again, attacking Bieber in ways of exorbitant hostility. The online bullying and harassment have reached such a level that she has been forced to address it on multiple occasions, voicing her concern for her own physical and mental well-being. Despite this, the bridge between Gomez and Bieber only continues to deepen as so-called fans, those of which are still encapsulated with a relationship left ten years in the past, will not rest until they witness a revival of their favorite celebrity romance—or, at the very least, the obliteration of Bieber’s reputation and livelihood, who, to them, seems to stand in the way of their demented plan.
However, a common theme in this conflict remains that Gomez and Bieber have yet to confirm their own distaste with one another. In fact, they have done the very opposite, with both reaching out in ways of illicit and explicit support and admiration for each other. In an interview with Alex Cooper’s podcast, Call Her Daddy, Hailey spoke directly on the supposed issue, denouncing accusations that contorted Gomez into her enemy by stating, “It’s all respect. It’s all love. There is no drama personally.” Prior to this 2022 interview, Gomez delivered a statement after the release of her 2019 breakup song, “Lose You To Love Me,” which has been widely speculated to be based on her past relationship with J. Bieber. Without directly naming Bieber as the muse for her support, Gomez told fans, “I do not stand for women tearing women down. And I will never, ever be by that. So please be kind to everyone.”
Unfortunately, even after both women have since moved on from the events that transpired years ago, criticism and fan badgering have only grown stronger. The narrative of “Selena versus Hailey” is less about fact and more about fandom fiction—a projection of the public’s desire for dramatic closure in a story that was never theirs to tell. In many ways, this rivalry isn’t just between two women but between past and present, fantasy and reality, love and the refusal to let go. For every like, share, or comment dissecting a side-eye or lip-syncing TikTok, the illusion of animosity is further cemented. What’s often left out of the conversation is the toll this takes on real people. Both Gomez and Bieber have expressed struggles with mental health and the exhaustion of being pitted against one another for the sake of clicks and comments.
The heart of this story is not betrayal, but betrayal by the audience of two women’s humanity, of their autonomy, and of their attempts to move forward. The media may love to see rivalry, but it’s time we start asking why we do, too. Because at some point, we must reckon with the reality that it’s not Gomez or Bieber fueling this fire—it’s us.
