By now, a lot of us have seen the “news” about Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber. Rumors and gossip are flying, and many people seem to think that Bieber has been copying Gomez for years. Additionally, Gomez dated Bieber’s now-husband on and off throughout the 2010’s. Everyone is talking about it, and there are people very invested in the story feverishly providing updates on social media platforms. Many of these reporters are rushing to be the first one to provide new information, from unearthing old DMs to looking at old photos. It seems like the Internet can’t get enough of the drama. However, I believe that people’s reactions are reminiscent of old tabloid stories that are intent on pitting women against each other.
In the early 2000s, celebrity gossip magazines couldn’t get enough of “celebrity feuds.” The word “catfight” dominated headlines, and while this word is not one that we see a lot of today, it seems that our obsession with pitting women against each other hasn’t ended. We all know the stories. Taylor Swift vs. Katy Perry. Paris Hilton vs. Lindsay Lohan. And now this. It just seems like we’re returning to an era where we delight in watching women fight with each other. Additionally, it’s a backwards narrative that all of this revolves around Justin Bieber. People are accusing Hailey Bieber of “stealing” Justin away from Selena, despite the fact that he also chose to marry her and seems to have a happy relationship with his wife.
One of the elements that most stuck out to me about this “feud” was the utter lack of evidence. It seems like many people are grasping at straws when they recount the “evidence” that Hailey Bieber hates Selena’s guts (but somehow also wants to copy everything she does). Many of the events that people point to could be complete coincidences, to the interpretation of “brow-gate” to some of the TikTok audios that Bieber has used. If this was on purpose somehow, it would simply make Hailey a schoolyard bully. It’s never okay to make fun of someone’s appearance, but the fact that this has dominated headlines for months is beyond me. Hailey Bieber hasn’t used physical violence, or even gone outright and said that she doesn’t like Selena. People have made her out to be a conniving, jealous tormentor who is intent on stealing Gomez’s image.
We live in a time of major political upheaval and are facing a climate crisis. Despite this, headlines still focus on picking apart the lives of celebrities. It’s cheap entertainment, and it’s so easily digestible that we don’t even notice that we’re being manipulated by it. Moving forward, it’s vital that we critically examine which news stories get a voice, and which don’t.