March 17, 2023 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | By Katie Rowley
If your TikTok For You Page is anything like mine or my friends, you have probably been flooded with videos addressing the drama between Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber. From creators recapping the entire timeline of the so-called ‘beef’ to providing minute-by-minute updates on how each woman is responding to the drama, it is safe to say that this is a pretty big pop culture moment.
Some may consider this level of drama to be above acclaimed newspapers such as The Catalyst. Who cares about two celebrities fighting over a man? Well, I do, and as long as I am a writer for this paper, I will take every opportunity to write about the hottest celebrity gossip. Plus, I am just providing the facts. I’m not going to tell you whose side to be on. (If I were writing for the Opinion section, I would be team Selena.)
Let’s get into it.
The drama between Gomez and Bieber dates back to 2018, according to an article from Page Six, after Hailey Bieber began to date Gomez’s long-term, very public ex-boyfriend, Justin Bieber. Shortly thereafter, they were married, and the internet began to compare everything that Gomez and Bieber, née Baldwin, did.
But, four long years later, all seemed well between the two. They were featured on each other’s Instagram accounts and even spoke kindly of one another to the media. That peace lasted only until January of this year.
The past two and a half months have been filled with Bieber and her friends, including none other than Kylie Jenner, and Gomez creating passive aggressive TikToks that seem to be aimed at Bieber. Everything from supporting Gomez’s body shamers to poking fun at Gomez’s eyebrows, no one involved is safe.
This bad blood also extended to Gomez’s celebrity best friend, Taylor Swift, when an old video of Bieber shading Swift surfaced, provoking Gomez’s defense of Swift in the form of the comments: “So sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game.”
All of this back and forth led to Gomez stepping away from her phone, announcing a social media break in February. But, the drama had already captivated the internet at this point, and nothing was going to stop people from discussing it.
Within the last few weeks, videos of Bieber supposedly copying Gomez have surfaced. These include tattoo placements all the way to their similar speech patterns and even so far as appearances on identical cooking shows. People also called into question the timeline of Hailey and Justin’s relationship, citing the former’s apparent obsession with Bieber back when he and Gomez were still together.
Both women have denied any allegations of drama between the two. Gomez has made many comments attempting to dissuade ill-will towards either of the Biebers.
In the past couple of days, pregnancy rumors for the Bieber couple have spread and Bieber has posted an Instagram picture with his wife, captioning it “LUV U BABY,” which the tabloids have interpreted as Bieber’s public display of support for his wife amidst the drama.
Regardless, as we continue to speculate on this feud between Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber, it is important to take a step back. Why is our society so obsessed with pitting two successful women against each other? And, if the tension between these two is because of Justin’s fast move to Hailey after his relationship with Gomez ended and the suspected idea that he is still in love with her, why do we feel a need to blame Hailey Bieber? When will we place the blame on the man?
As Bieber and Bieber’s marriage continues, and Gomez slowly makes her way back onto social media, it will certainly be interesting to see how this drama continues to unfold. I can only hope it’s enough for me to milk another article out of.