A deep dive into Selena Gomez’s mind
Oftentimes there is a lot more about the lives of popular celebrities than what meets the eye. Selena Gomez went from being a child actress and a popular singing sensation to someone who is just as vulnerable as the rest of us. In present day, her fans know Selena as an actress, a singer as well as someone who raises her voice for many important causes related to mental health and well-being among the youth. Gomez started her journey in the acting industry at the tender age of 10 years old, when she first starred in the children’s show, Barney and Friends. After watching how the lives of many Nickelodeon and Disney child actors turned out, it is safe to say that being extremely famous in the Entertainment industry at a young age takes a toll on one’s mind. Over her years in the industry, Selena has tried to dabble between her professional career as a singer and actress as well as her personal life where she struggles with multiple mental health issues like Lupus and Bipolar Disorder. A lot had been said about Selena Gomez’s personal life, most importantly her tumultuous public relationship with singer, Justin Bieber. The latest Apple TV+ documentary, ‘Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me’ attempts to move away from her romantic relationships and aims to throw light on Selena’s complex relationship with her mind and how she struggles to exist some days. The documentary opens in 2016 following Selena’s last official split from Bieber after what was an on-and-off relationship that went on for years. After facing multiple challenges in her personal life, Selena struggles with newfound issues of validation where she feels she is not good enough. The singer breaks down, which is sure to send viewers down an emotional rabbit hole. Selena then follows through with her professional schedule with her 2016 Revival Tour only to abruptly put it to an end because of the toll it took on her mental health. ‘My Mind and Me’ progresses to highlight the various issues Selena has faced over the years which relate to anxiety and depression before her auto-immune disease – Lupus – flared up. The disease eventually rendered one of her kidneys incapable, leading her to have a kidney transplant. The singer shares how she was eventually diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder which signaled her life spiraling downhill. The docufilm does not journey any of Selena’s lows but attempts to show how the singer fought through all that and emerged into the person that she is now. From trying to recall her childhood visiting her neighbours, her school as well as her friends, to recalling her relationship with her father who used to be an absentee parent but has mended his relationship with her over the years. With a run-time of 95 minutes, the film shows the complex journey Selena has taken to accepting her mental health issues and finding a way to deal with them to the best of her ability. She highlights her struggles but throws light on how she is trying to make things better. Selena has turned her life around from one of her most depressive episodes that took place in 2018 when she was admitted into rehab, to recover from the side effects of chemotherapy and her lupus diagnosis. Towards the end of the docu-film, we see Selena use her platform and resources to throw light on mental health issues among young adults. Selena ends the documentary with a feeling of acceptance for her circumstances by saying, “I think I needed to go through that to be who I am, and then I’m gonna keep going through it. But, I’m really happy.” The film is not a light watch for people who suffer from suicidal thoughts and mental health issues. Some scenes of emotional distress will act as a trigger, viewer’s discretion is advised. However, this film ends on a light note, with Selena in a much better space than where she started. This highlights the importance of addressing mental health issues and kudos to Selena for showing her vulnerability to the world as she turned her life around.
