When it comes to the actors and actresses I grew up watching, very few captured my attention from my childhood through my teen years and then well into my adulthood, but one I can always point to is star Selena Gomez. I started watching her when she was on Barney as a seven-year-old, loved her in the Disney Channel show, Wizards of Waverly Place, and have been loving her transition into adult roles in shows like Only Murders in the Building and movies like The Dead Don’t Die.
So, when I heard that there was going to be a whole documentary dedicated to what goes on in her mind and her growing up in her career, I was on board, but as a fan and someone who has been following her for years, I had several feelings watching Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me. And, I think that some of you might have felt the same way.
Genuine Sadness
Look, being a child star is never easy. We have seen it time and time again, where children who grew up in the industry try to take on more adult work in order for people to take them seriously. One of the best examples I can think of is actor Daniel Radcliffe and his varied acting experience outside of the Harry Potter franchise once it was over.
Or, if you’re looking for a more Disney Channel-centered child star, Miley Cyrus is another great example, as she really changed her whole image so she could step away from that Disney look. While I always believed that Selena, out of anyone, could truly step away from that, I was genuinely sad watching her in the early stages of My Mind & Me.
As someone who literally went to the Revival Tour, I had no idea that she thought everything she was doing wasn’t good enough, that it wasn’t separating her from Disney, and how heartbroken she was to think that everything she wanted to do just wasn’t going right. I was so sad to see her angry at the fact that everyone always thought of her as being paired with her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber, and that she felt she, herself, was never enough.
While I’m not a celebrity like her and never will be, this scene made me realize that we really aren’t that different, how her self-worth was so focused on trying to improve her image and who she was, and feeling as if nothing was going right. I can relate to that on a personal level.
Pure Giddiness
“Who Says” was my favorite song for a very long time. Released in 2011 with her band, Selena Gomez & The Scene, this song was very important in my childhood, because I was bullied terribly as a child, and when I was feeling extremely depressed, I would try to sing this song at the top of my lungs through my tears and sniffles.
While I’m in a much better place now as an adult, watching the entire concert crowd sing this song to her during My Mind & Me, and seeing her get emotional, made me start to bawl my eyes out. It was almost like this moment of clarity for her, realizing just how much this song means to everyone. It’s even worse to think about what she had gone through when she herself didn’t believe those words for a long time, thinking she wasn’t good enough. I was so giddy to hear everyone sing – and yes, I was belting it out in my bedroom, too.
Annoyed (Specifically At Paparazzi)
If we’re being completely honest, I’ve always hated the paparazzi, for many reasons. They are an invasion of privacy and downright disrespectful to celebrities half the time. But, in My Mind & Me, I’m reminded of just how much I really do hate them, through the many instances we see of Selena Gomez being hounded by them.
From her in a car that was literally being chased down by two members of the paparazzi, to her just wanting to go out and do something and the paparazzi disrupting her personal life, it truly sickened me to see all of this. What made it worse was that they were there during one of the most important times of her life where there was so much at risk – and their presence never helped in the slightest.
Surprise
Even as a fan, I had no idea that Selena Gomez had been going through so much a few years ago. I did know about her kidney transplant, and I did know that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but I had no idea that it had gotten to a point where she was hospitalized and had a "psychotic break," according to a friend of hers.
Granted, when this happened, I was in my sophomore year of college and going through my own changes and trying to figure out my own life, so focusing on someone else’s struggles was the least of my problems. But, that doesn’t change the fact that I still followed her for a good amount of time and I was surprised to see how much had truly happened during the ending of the Revival Tour and 2019. And it makes me have that much more respect for her.
Frustrated And Disappointed (By The Press)
I feel like I’m the pot calling the kettle black here since I am a part of the press, but I have to admit I was feeling very frustrated and disappointed in the questions that the press were asking in interviews of Gomez in My Mind & Me. Every single question felt so one-dimensional and it felt like half the time, the person asking the questions didn’t even care.
For example, in one interview – one where she was particularly frustrated after – the interviewer asks her what she plans to do for the rest of her life and she admits she wants to spend it doing philanthropy – and the interviewer just says, “well that works for me.” That’s not how you respond to an answer like that, especially when the topic means so much to the person you’re interviewing. It was disappointing overall, to be honest, and I don’t blame Gomez for growing upset afterwards.
So, So Proud
I’ve probably said this at some point already in this article, but I am so, so, so proud of Selena Gomez. We see it so many times throughout My Mind & Me, but the fact that she was able to work through her struggles and grow into this amazing person through not only her music but her charity work is something that we should all aspire to do.
She’s been through so much, and even in the last moments of the film, she admits that she still gets angry or upset or feels lost sometimes, but she’s grown up and uses her platform for good to try and create a safe space for children to discuss mental health. She even met with President Joe Biden to see what they could do about a mental health initiative and getting a mental health curriculum set in schools – that’s a trailblazing move, and something I never would have expected from the actress I used to watch on The Disney Channel.
In my mind, Selena Gomez is really just getting started in her career. She has a whole makeup line that’s successful, is going to be working on Only Murders in the Building Season 3, and is continuing her work in philanthropy and mental health, and that’s something I always love to hear about. I’m also thankful for the peek that I was given into her life in My Mind & Me.
