After months of fan-driven online drama, which has included everything from dubious TikToks featuring Kylie Jenner, to Selena Gomez taking a brief social media hiatus amid rumours that she and Hailey Bieber, formerly Baldwin, have been at odds, the two celebrities took to Instagram to denounce animosity towards one another and call for the drama to end. Both ladies have dated Justin Bieber in the past; Selena dated him intermittently for eight years, and Hailey wed him four years ago, shortly after he and Selena’s final breakup.
While social media fans dissected each post made by these women in quest of evidence of their dispute, or of Hailey Baldwin’s claimed infatuation with Jelena, what started as claims that Hailey “stole” Justin from Gomez quickly spun out of hand. Fans continued to speculate for years regardless of either woman’s attempts to stop the online animosity, even posing together at an event in October 2022.
The most recent rush of allegations began in February after Gomez wrote about unintentionally over-laminating her brows. The rows of hairs that make up our eyebrows are often harmless. Hairs are positioned upward during the beauty procedure of brow lamination to give the brows a fuller, fluffier appearance. Selena was concerned that her brows were not arched in a way that felt stylish. Only the ancient gods knew whether they were too vertical, too full, or too fluffy. Later the same day, Kylie Jenner released a video of herself and Hailey Bieber flaunting their eyebrows on FaceTime, which some saw as a jab at Selena Gomez. Jenner and Gomez both reacted when TikToker Nuha, @devotedly.yours, explained how she saw the “shade.” In the comments, Jenner stated, “This is reaching. […] You guys are making something out of nothing. This is silly.” Gomez concurred and subsequently said she was a “fan” of Jenner’s.
It appeared that Selena Gomez’s eyebrows had been indirectly mocked by Hailey Bieber. By itself, the act looks like a pointless jab, but when you consider the complex history of their tumultuous relationship, it was so much more. Later that day, it is discovered on the internet that Selena left a remark on an old clip of Hailey appearing to gag at the mention of Taylor Swift. Selena responded by writing, “So sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game.” Hailey was made fun of after embarrassing videos of her and Justin from after their wedding were also circulated online. Then the comparisons began. Afterwards, a conspiracy on social media claimed that Hailey was “copying” Selena in everything from tattoo placement to their respective cooking shows.
Amidst all this commotion, Justin and Hailey Bieber were seen having brunch together on a Sunday in Los Angeles. The couple was reportedly seen enjoying the weather, holding hands and kissing as they left the eatery Great White in West Hollywood, California, according to a Just Jared article. This was their first public outing together since Hailey spoke up about the continuing conflict between her and Selena Gomez.
“Hailey thinks Selena is talented. By liking photos of Selena, whether it be a glam shot or ones that her friends post on Instagram, Hailey wants to show that there are no hard feelings,” an Us Weekly source disclosed. “It’s her way of trying to make peace and show her support for Selena in a low-key way, yet public way.”
“In the end,” Hailey concluded on her Instagram, “I believe love will always be bigger than hate and negativity, and there is always an opportunity to see each other with more empathy and compassion.” Fans also noticed that Selena and Hailey are now Instagram followers of one another. So that’s that. What do you think about this “feud”?
Written by: Annika Nair
Edited by: Hannah Marie