Selena Gomez has decided to unplug. Less than a month after the 24-year-old became the most followed person on Instagram, she's stepped back from the app for the good of her mental health. In an interview with Vogue, Gomez talked about social media fame and why she's giving Instagram a break.
The star prides herself on being totally honest with her fans.
"People so badly wanted me to be authentic," she told the magazine. "And when that happened, finally, it was a huge release. I’m not different from what I put out there. I’ve been very vulnerable with my fans, and sometimes I say things I shouldn’t. But I have to be honest with them. I feel that’s a huge part of why I’m where I am."
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This honesty gained her followers — 110 million, in fact — and the pressure started to get to her.
"As soon as I became the most followed person on Instagram, I sort of freaked out," she said, revealing that she doesn't have the app on her phone anymore, and even if she did, she no longer has access to her password.
"It had become so consuming to me. It’s what I woke up to and went to sleep to," she continued. "I was an addict, and it felt like I was seeing things I didn’t want to see, like it was putting things in my head that I didn’t want to care about. I always end up feeling like shit when I look at Instagram. Which is why I’m kind of under the radar, ghosting it a bit."
In other words, she burned out. Her success boiled over, so she took a step back.
"Look, I love what I do, and I’m aware of how lucky I am, but — how can I say this without sounding weird?" she said. "I just really can’t wait for people to forget about me."
This is especially true for her personal life. She no longer speaks publicly about her relationships, instead choosing to keep what happens between her and Bella Hadid's ex The Weeknd private. The two were seen jetting off to Italy right after the interview, but Gomez stayed mum.
While this isn't necessarily the end of Gomez's Instagram career, let's just say she's on sabbatical.