The actress/singer shares why being 'unaware' of what's going on in pop culture makes her happy and has 'saved' her life.
There are many things that make Selena Gomez happy. One of them is her infrequent use of social media to know what is going on in pop culture.
The Only Murders in the Building star admitted that she's "completely unaware" of trending topics, but that it's what "saved" her life.
"I’m completely unaware of, actually, what’s going on in pop culture, and that makes me really happy," she tells WWD. "And maybe that doesn’t make everybody else happy, but for me, it’s really saved my life."
Of course growing up in front of the cameras and the pressures of being a role model, plus a high-profile romance, are all factors of her decision to step back from social media. Over the years, Gomez has learned to focus on her mental health.
"There was this immense amount of pressure I had growing up that I felt like I needed to be a good role model,” the former Disney Channel star shares. "And then I felt like maybe that was just unrealistic, and my life became very public really quickly, and I didn’t know that I was going through my own journey with mental health at the time."
"So, it was really confusing growing up, and once people created this narrative of my life, I realized I can’t be quiet anymore," she continued. "I have to just address what needs to be addressed, and that’s me reclaiming my story, which is, 'OK, yeah, I was definitely going through a hard time, and this is why, and this is what I deal with.'"
The "999" singer -- who rose to fame on Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place -- has started to share more insight on her past mental health struggles. Most recently, she told Variety, "I was exposed to people criticizing me as a child, and it was honestly unfair."
"The older I got," Gomez continued, "the more I realized that if I do something I really love, people watching will hopefully enjoy it."
Only Murders in the Building marked Gomez's first regular role on TV since her Disney Channel show. While speaking with ET in August, the actress noted that taking on this new role was "different" than her Disney days.
"When I was on Wizards, it was four cameras, a live audience, five days a week, really fun," she shared. "And this one was just one camera. Well, we had a couple of cameras I guess. It was a bit movie style, so there was the difference already. But I just enjoyed it more because I feel like I could concentrate a bit more on the character and just have fun with it. I felt like I could just have freedom to do whatever I felt like she would do."
"I do feel like a little bit of the character rubbed off on me because I feel like I am definitely more sarcastic and dry," she added.
Hear more of what she shared in the video below.
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