Unlike, say, a certain reality star-turned-President who keeps fake Time covers of himself posted in frames at his resorts — a move that sounds like a parody even though it’s real, Selena Gomez’s Time cover is the real deal.
The actress and singer, though she’s produced some of the greatest music in human history, isn’t on the cover for her art. Not directly, anyway.
Selena made the cover of Time Firsts. In her interview, she talks about how she got to where she is — and about the struggles that young people are facing today.
Seriously, she’s in great company: Madeleine Albright, Gabby Douglas, Shonda Rhimes, Candis Cayne, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Loretta Lynch, Barbara Walters … the list goes on.
And they’re in great company, too. Because Selena Gomez is extraordinary.
Selena’s reason for making Time‘s list of Firsts is that she is the first person, in the world, to reach 100 million followers on Instagram.
She is actually well beyond that — currently at about 126 million followers.
(Her sheer volume of followers is probably why she made such an appealing target for her account to be hacked when old Bieber nudes were posted)
How Selena manages that isn’t clear.
She’s not especially controversial but she gets people’s attention.
She’s always relevant but never overexposed.
She’s beautiful but none of her posts seem like a plea for attention.
Whatever her exact recipe for social media success, it’s worked, and Time sat down to interview her.
Time interviewed Selena Gomez, of course.
One of the things that the 25-year-old singer discussed was how social media creates new challenges for young people.
“I think it’s really hard to be a kid now, especially with social media.”
That’s true. As useful of a tool as it can be, it can be a huge source of misery for kids who might already feel isolated.
“I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up with that. It’s already difficult to get up every day and just feel good about yourself without seeing the highlights of everyone else’s life.”
But part of Selena’s social media strategy is remaining aware of this.
“That’s why I like being vulnerable with my fans on social media. I like that they’ve seen my mistakes. I try to use that as a way to connect with them.”
She’s so good, you guys.
“Strength doesn’t mean that you have to put on a facade. I think strength is being vulnerable.”
That’s one form of strength, absolutely.
As for Selena’s career, she credits her mother for helping her to become her current, magnificent self.
““When I started working, my mom was the person in my life that helped guide me through most of that.”
Awwww!
“She was 16 so we kind of grew up together. Everything that I am has kind of become a little bit of what my mom’s gone through.”
When you reach the ages that your respective parents were when you were born, you realize how much they were just making it up as they go along, because there’s no magical age at which adulthood suddenly comes naturally.
(You fake it ‘til you make it)
Having a child at 16 is even more dramatic.
But it looks like Selena’s mother did an extraordinary job.
“She made me feel like I was capable of doing anything I wanted.”
And she is. To paraphrase Selena’s “Stars Dance,” we’d say that she can do anything she puts her mind to.
Selena took to Instagram, of course, to announce her Time Firsts cover.
“Sometimes it’s incredibly difficult to wake up every day knowing there is so much going on in the world. At times I feel selfish, I ask why, I ask how can this change? Will it actually ever change?”
We all hope so. Even if it’s little-by-little.
“I try to contribute my heart before anything because it can be so easy to lose the desire to have hope when sometimes all I want to be is angry.”
That’s relatable.
“When I read about the beautiful women who wake up consciously every day to make a change, it inspires me to want to do so much more.”
Women like the other names that share her cover.
“Not really sure how I got so lucky @time but thank you for highlighting the power of what we can and will always strive to be.”
She didn’t just get lucky — she’s amazing.
“I believe in the goodness in the land of the living. I hope this is just the beginning of more change.”
She’s so poetic, you know?
Every day, since that fateful day in January 2010 when I was visiting my mother and a random On Demand channel in an otherwise empty room happened to play “Naturally” right when I walked in, I have been thankful for Selena Gomez.
It’s good to see that she dominates Instagram so thoroughly.
Whether she shares another snap of her resting between appearances or a rare pic of her with The Weeknd, her Instagram account is worth following.
She never floods your timeline but you’re always glad to see her posts.
