Selena Gomez Reveals Disney Taught Her ‘To Be Perfect’ As She Discusses How Fame Took Its Toll

25 April 2019, 13:09

Selena Gomez has opened up about growing up on the Disney Channel
Selena Gomez has opened up about growing up on the Disney Channel. Picture: Selena Gomez/Instagram / Getty

Selena Gomez has opened up about all aspects of her life, discussing her new album, the pressures of social media and her experience growing up on the Disney Channel.

Selena Gomez grew up in the role of Alex Russo on Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place, meaning she has been in the spotlight for most of her adult life.

But the 26 year old has recently been taking time away from the limelight to focus on herself and her mental health, revealing on Coach’s new podcast Instagram “got her down a lot”.

Wizards of Waverly Place Cast Teases Return Of Show After Meeting With Disney's Streaming Service

Selena Gomez spoke candidly about her time growing up as a Disney star
Selena Gomez spoke candidly about her time growing up as a Disney star. Picture: Selena Gomez/Instagram

Opening up on how working with Disney prepared her to be a good role model, the actress and pop star said her time on the channel taught her to be “perfect” in order to be a good role model.

However, she had nothing but praise for Disney, explaining: “It just taught me so much about being a role model, you know? That was the first thing that I started so they were very apparent on being perfect, I guess, just making sure that you’re being a good influence on people. I’m grateful that I had that opportunity because I understand what a platform means."

Selena Gomez played Alex Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place
Selena Gomez played Alex Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place. Picture: Getty

But that opportunity came with a price, as new-found fame and constant attention took its toll on Selena, with the actress revealing she would "just look at the flaws" when she was photographed. As a result, she created "an other persona" of herself before going through "real, really difficult things" and finding the authentic version of herself.

Selena also discussed how Instagram left her feeling low, describing the platform: “I just think taking breaks is really important. But just know that most of it isn’t real. And I hate to say that, I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s very unrealistic in a lot of ways, and I think that for me, I want to protect the youngest generation because they are exposed to so much information, and I feel like that causes a lot of anxiety at the youngest age.”

The songstress' new album is coming out later this year, but there won’t be any collaborations on her new creation as she’s decided to tell her life stories herself.

“There will be no collaborations on it. Working on this new record, I just wanted it to be me, all me. Every song is a story I’ve experienced,” Selena said. “To that point, I think there’s no one who’s going to tell my story better than myself.”

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