26 www.hnmagazine.com HISPANIC NETWORK MAGAZINE
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ctress and singer Selena Gomez got her start at the age of nine on Barney and Friends and quickly rose as a Disney Channel star with the television show Wizards of Waverly Place , where she played a Latina-Italian middle daughter on the longest-running Disney Channel show. But the young performer has moved far beyond her early days as a teen celebrity, and shes using her rising status to bring awareness to issues she is passionate about. Today, Gomezs songs have reached millions in record sales, she has been nominated for several VMA awards, and she is the highest paid influencer on Instagram, a social media platform where her life, interests, and projects are shared with her astounding 124 million+ followers. In September, TIME Magazine recognized Gomez for being the first person to reach 100 million followers on Instagram in its project TIME Firsts, which highlights women making a difference in the world. The singer is grateful for the platform and how it has allowed her to connect even more with her fans, but she also tries to connect with them strategically. She admits that she is thankful she never grew up with this type of social media, because feeling good about yourself is hard enough as a young adult without being so aware of what everyone around you is accomplishing. This is why Gomez attempts to share her mistakes and vulnerability on her account along with her accomplishments. I hope that they know that strength doesnt mean that you have to put on a facade. Strength is being vulnerable, she said in the feature. And she has made quite an impact through her social media and her efforts to be open and honest. At 25 years old, Gomez has one of the largest voices and has chosen to use it across underrepresented issues, such as awareness for autoimmune diseases and mental health, equality for the LGBT community, her Hispanic heritage, and empowering students to make a difference. She uses her social media platforms, particularly Instagram, to share about these passions and how people can make a difference every day. She posts regularly from all aspects of her life to connect with fans and make a positive difference in the world, though she admits its not always easy to hope change can come. But her honesty and willingness to share so much is exactly why TIME Magazine has named her the tastemaker, emphasizing its belief that she is capable of bringing change through her social media. The Bad Liar singer has opened up more about her own Lupus diagnosis and how that has affected her life and career over the years. While her diagnosis was nearly five years ago, upon canceling the end of her Revival tour last year, Gomez revealed more about her battle with Lupus while simultaneously showing her fans that it was more than OK to put yourself and your mental health above other obligations. She shared the dicult truths about the depression and social anxiety that often accompanies Lupus in an interview with Vogue , stating that checking into a treatment facility was the best thing she had ever done. Her reason behind sharing is not only for awareness and to raise money for research (her only birthday wish this past year) but to help remove the stigmas surrounding seeking help and getting therapy for important issues, particularly among women. We girls, were taught to be almost too resilient, to be strong and sexy and cool and laid-
Selena Gomez:
#InnovatingSocialMedia
By Mackenna Cummings
Selena Gomez in a Pantene Commercial
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