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Great Lives from History: Latinos, 2nd Edition

Selena Gomez

by Trudy Mercadal

American singer, songwriter, actress, producer, and philanthropist

Selena Gomez is a renowned former Disney star who now has careers in music, acting, and philanthropy. She is well known for being vocal about her difficulty dealing with the pressures of fame, mental health, emotional health, toxic relationships, and her battle with lupus.

Latino heritage: Mexican

Born: July 22, 1992; Grand Prairie, Texas

Also known as: Selena Marie Gómez

Area of achievement: Music; acting; philanthropy; producing

EARLY LIFE

Selena Gomez, born on July 22, 1992, and named after the popular Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, was raised in Dallas, Texas. Gomez is the daughter of Ricardo “Rick” Gómez and Amanda Cornett, who are of Mexican and Italian descent, respectively. Gomez’s parents were high school sweethearts and had Gomez when Amanda was sixteen. The couple married, but split up by the time Gomez was five.

Amanda gained custody of Gomez and became her main caretaker. There were times where Amanda would work up to three jobs to support Gomez. Early in her life, Gomez blamed Amanda for the divorce; she dreamed of a traditional family, with a mother and a father figure, and felt deprived and angry. In time, Gomez grew to appreciate her mother’s sacrifices and credited much of her success to the values Amanda gave her.

Gomez has frequently stated that she is proud of her Mexican ancestry, although she did not grow up within the culture, nor speak Spanish. Nevertheless, she has made efforts to immerse herself in the culture. Also, at a young age, Gomez became fully immersed in her Catholic faith. Later in life she would distance herself from formal religion, but not from her spirituality.

In 2002, Gomez landed her first TV role as a child actor in Barney & Friends, becoming a regular on the show. She had her breakthrough feature film role in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003), in a secondary role. Shortly after, however, Gomez nabbed a guest spot on Disney Channel's series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, which became one of the most popular TV shows for a young audience. This show positioned her as a Disney star, and eventually led to her first main role as Alex Russo on Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place, at the age of fifteen.

Selena Gomez Joella Marano via Wikimedia Commons)

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LIFE’S WORK

From 2007 to 2012, Gomez’s popularity grew with her ongoing role of tomboyish Alex Russo, a girl with magical powers, on Wizards of the Waverly Place. The show, which enjoyed great popularity, highlighted Gomez’s acting chops in an unconventional role. The show’s theme song, “Everything Is Not as It Seems,” sung by Gomez, was a first step in her singing career. The following year, Gómez appeared in several guest spots on other Disney programs, as well as in Wizards of a Waverly Place: The Movie (2009). The film, a tie-in with the series, became Disney Channel’s second most-viewed film premiere in history. Other films in which she appeared during those years include Another Cinderella Story (2008), Princess Protection Program (2009), Ramona and Breezus (2010), Monte Carlo (2011), and Spring Breakers (2012).

In 2009, Gomez formed a pop-rock band called “Selena Gomez & The Scene,” with her performing lead vocals. The band released their debut studio album, Kiss & Tell, in 2009, but Gomez’s vocals were attacked by critics even though the album’s single, “Naturally,” landed on the top ten list of the Billboard 200. The next year, Selena Gomez & The Scene released their second studio album, A Year Without Rain, which was more successful than the first, reaching the fourth slot on the Billboard 200. It received somewhat better reviews and the album spawned two Top 40 singles, “Round & Round” and “A Year Without Rain.”

In 2011, Gomez reached celebrity status when she began dating teen heartthrob Justin Bieber, who at the time was the most popular singer in the industry. This led to significant backlash against Gomez from Bieber fans, which she later stated took a heavy emotional toll. Gomez remained in a difficult on-and-offagain relationship with Bieber until their final split in 2018. She later opened up about having felt as though she were the victim of emotional abuse during the relationship. In 2020, Gomez stated publicly that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and credited dialectical behavior therapy with improving her life, and helping her break her addiction to social media.

In 2012, Gomez took a break from her music career. That year, Wizards of a Waverly Place ended after a four-season run. Gomez decided to look beyond Disney for new opportunities. She starred as a voice actor in the successful animated film Hotel Transylvania, and appeared in Spring Breakers opposite James Franco—a much more mature, and controversial, role compared to her previous efforts. In 2013, Gomez starred in Getaway, which earned her a nomination for the Worst Actress at the 34th Golden Raspberry Awards.

Despite taking a stated break from music in 2012, Gomez continued to produce new music on her own. In 2013, she released a single called “Come and Get It” that entered the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. That same year, she released the album Stars Dance, which topped the Billboard 200 chart. However, the album is her lowest-selling studio album to date in the United States, even after its initial success.

Gomez's health suffered in 2013, during her Stars Dance Tour. She checked in voluntarily at The Meadows, a treatment center for young people struggling with addiction and trauma, for issues unrelated to addiction. Later, Gomez confirmed she had been diagnosed with lupus and entered rehab to receive chemotherapy. From 2015 onward, as a response to her lupus diagnosis, Gomez faced emotional health issues which included anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. In September 2017, she announced having undergone kidney transplant surgery, with a kidney donated by her friend Francia Raisa.

After her recovery, she appeared in The Fundamentals of Caring (2016), The Dead Don’t Die (2019), which premiered as the Cannes Film Festival opening film, and A Rainy Day in New York (2019), produced by Woody Allen for Amazon.

Gomez returned to work developing more music productions, and released several successful singles with popular producers, such as “It Ain't Me” (2017) with Norwegian DJ Kygo, “Wolves” (2007) with Marshmello, “Taki Taki” (2018) with DJ Snake, and featured on the soundtrack for the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why with a song called “Back to You” (2018). She was also executive producer of the series from 2017 to 2020. Gomez also returned to working with animated film, by performing as a voice actress in the series Hotel Transylvania, which continues to date. In 2019, Gomez also became an executive producer for the Netflix six-episode series Living Undocumented, which follows eight undocumented families in America. In 2020, she released the lead single “Look at Her Now” from her new album Rare. Also in 2020, Gomezsigned on to produce and act as host of the new HBO cooking show Selena + Chef, meant to raise awareness of different food charity enterprises. She is also slotted to be executive producer for the comedy series Only Murders in the Building, starring veteran comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short.

Gomez has been very vocal about her political views, and advocates for undocumented migrant families. In 2010, Gomez expressed her interest in philanthropy by establishing her fashion line Dream Out Loud, made from eco-friendly materials. The fashion line marked the beginning of Gomez's participation in environmental issues. At seventeen, Gomez became the youngest United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) ambassador at the time. As such, she participated in various UNICEF mission trips, aimed at learning firsthand about the realities of worldwide poverty. Gomez has also led various fundraisers and, in 2008 alone, raised over $700,000 for charity. Other philanthropic endeavors have included work with DoSomething.org, Raise Hope for Congo, and the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, to name a few.

After her split with Justin Bieber, Gómez was in a serious relationship with artist The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye). However, the couple broke up in 2018.

SIGNIFICANCE

On the surface, Selena Gomez's career could appear to be an easy success. However, Gomez used her celebrity platform to become a positive role model. She went public with the mental and physical health problems she suffered, in order to de-stigmatize them and offer a message of hope. Gomez faced the pressures of fame from an early age, suffering some humiliating career falls, and facing backlash over her relationships. However, throughout the struggles and obstacles, she has persevered and always attempted to become a better person, by using her platform to help others.

Further Reading

1 

Carras, Christi. “Selena Gomez Says She Fell Victim to ‘Certain Abuse' While Dating Justin Bieber.” LATimes.com, January 27, 2020. www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-01-27/selena-gomez-justin-bieber-relationship-abuse. This article explains, to a certain degree, Gomez's opinion on her relationship with Justin Bieber, along with the consequences she endured for remaining in it.

2 

Collins, Hattie. “'I Want Immigrants to Know We Are Fighting for Them': Selena Gomez Discusses Life in Donald Trump's America.” VogueUK.com, April 7, 2020. www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/selena-gomez-immigration-policy-must-improve. This article touches on Gomez's opinion on immigration policy and gives some insight as to why she is part of the executive team of Netflix's documentary Living Undocumented.

3 

Daramus, Aimee. Understanding Bipolar Disorder: The Essential Family Guide. New York: Rockridge Press, 2020. A reader-friendly guide on understanding bipolar disorder, which may help provide some background on the difficulties faced by Selena Gomez and her road to recovery.

4 

Hughes, Locke. “Selena Gomez Opens Up about How Therapy Changed Her Life.” WebMD.com, November 13, 2019. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/selena-gomez-opens-up-about-therapy. In this article the author explores the ways Selena Gomez sought help for mental distress caused by fame, lupus, and other factors, along with how she used these treatments to heal, and her outlook on therapy.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Mercadal, Trudy. "Selena Gomez." Great Lives from History: Latinos, 2nd Edition, edited by Trudy Mercadal, et al., Salem Press, 2021. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=GLLatin2e_0245.
APA 7th
Mercadal, T. (2021). Selena Gomez. In T. Mercadal, C. Tafolla & M. P. Cotera (Eds.), Great Lives from History: Latinos, 2nd Edition. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Mercadal, Trudy. "Selena Gomez." Edited by Trudy Mercadal, Carmen Tafolla & Martha P. Cotera. Great Lives from History: Latinos, 2nd Edition. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2025. online.salempress.com.