When I was younger, I remember rushing home to binge-watch episodes of Wizards of Waverly Place and wanting to be Alex Russo. I even made a wand that was inspired by the one she used on the show.
Selena Gomez is well-known for her role as Alex Russo on Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place. Since her Disney days, she has been in numerous TV shows and movies, released albums and started her own beauty brand, Rare Beauty, which was named after her 2020 album release, Rare.
Since wrapping up Wizards of Waverly Place and leaving Disney Channel in 2012, Gomez has starred in many different TV shows and movies including Only Murders in the Building which was released in 2021. She has also voiced Mavis in the Hotel Transylvania series.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Gomez stated that when working with Disney, she “signed her life away” but wasn’t sure what she was doing at the time–– she was only a teenager.
Growing up with all eyes on her, Gomez wasn’t really sure how to react to all the publicity. Once child stars move away from family-friendly programs, they receive backlash due to “not being childish anymore.” In many ways, the audience must grow up with the actor or actress in order to appreciate them branching out.
In Sept. 2020, Gomez launched her beauty brand, Rare Beauty. Her announcement created a highly-anticipated hype around the brand and the products that were set to be released. Oftentimes, when a well-known celebrity launches any sort of brand, their products won’t live up to the hype, but this was different.
In the past two years, Rare Beauty has made its mark in the makeup world, showing that it’s more than just another brand created by a celebrity. The brand received great reviews on social media, quickly becoming a fan-favourite. Its Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer is a top-ranked product.
In 2015, Gomez revealed that she had been diagnosed with Lupus – an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack its own organs and tissue. This caused her to lose some mobility, making her joints weaker. In a cooking video, Gomez had asked her grandfather to juice a lemon for her, explaining that Lupus makes her joints weak and she can no longer apply too much pressure on them.
Due to her illness, Gomez made Rare Beauty’s packaging easily accessible for others who may suffer from mobility and joint issues.
Along with Rare Beauty, Gomez launched Rare Impact and the Rare Impact Fund. These are resources and charities that have been designed to help those struggling with mental health, a topic that is near and dear to Gomez.
Rare Beauty’s website shares articles on how to help your mental health, such as dealing with anxiety and sharing resources with different mental health professionals.
Turning 30-years-old this year, I can’t wait to see what Selena Gomez has in store for us. And yes, I’m now going to blast songs from Selena Gomez and The Scene.