Selena Gomez Reveals She ‘Felt Stunted By’ Her Childhood Fame

Selena Gomez discussed how entering showbiz at a young age impacted her personal growth and the struggles of growing up in the spotlight.

The singer recently addressed body-shaming comments, candidly explaining how her health challenges affect her appearance.

Selena Gomez also recently revealed her biggest dating “ick” and opened up about her first date with boyfriend Benny Blanco.

In a recent interview for Elle Magazine’s 2024 Women in Hollywood issue, Gomez shared that, in hindsight, she wishes she hadn’t entered showbiz so young, as she believes it hindered her personal development.

The  32-year-old reflected on her early years, saying, “I have no regrets, and I have a fantastic family, and there were rules laid down by my parents, and I’m appreciative of that.”

She continued, “However, I don’t think I would’ve done it very young if I was thinking of myself now. There were a lot of things that I felt stunted by. Then adding a lot of pressure from a lot of people didn’t help me develop a sense of self in my twenties. It was a very difficult time.”

The singer added, “I live with it every day. I try my hardest to stay positive about everything and focus on things like this [movie] that really make me happy. But I would just say maybe wait and have a little bit of a life.”

Gomez began her career in Hollywood at just 10, appearing on “Barney,” and by 15, she was starring in Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” “Another Cinderella Story,” “Ramona and Beezus,” and “Monte Carlo.”

In 2021, the pop star reflected on how she “signed my life away to Disney at a very young age,” admitting that she was “just running around on set” without fully understanding the industry.

Despite the challenges she faced growing up in the spotlight, the actress told Radio Times that she’s “beyond proud” of her Disney work, noting, “It kind of shaped who I am in a way,” adding that she now feels like “a sponge,” eager to absorb as much wisdom as possible.

When asked about the most demanding role she’s taken on, Gomez shared, “The most challenging one, because I was only 18 or 19, was ‘Spring Breakers.’ It was the first thing I did right after my Disney show and it was such a crazy detour.”

“That’s when I knew I was going to fall in love with filmmakers and really gritty, fun stuff that was a little too graphic,” she added, per the Daily Mail.

The interview comes after Gomez clapped back at some supposed fans who made comments about her posture on the red carpet for her upcoming Netflix film “Emilia Perez.”

While making an appearance at the American French Film Festival premiere in Los Angeles, Gomez appeared in a black, long-sleeved Carolina Herrera dress with her hands often positioned across her stomach.

This prompted speculation on TikTok, where some questioned if she was deliberately posing to hide her body.

In response to the now-deleted comment, Gomez shut down the body shamers, declaring that she’s not a victim.

“This makes me sick,” she wrote. “I have SEBO [SIBO] in my small intestine. It flares up. I don’t care that I don’t look like a stick figure. I don’t have that body. End of story. No, I am NOT a victim. I’m just human.”

During a chat with LADbible alongside her “Emilia Pérez” co-star Zoe Saldana, Gomez said that her biggest turn-off is “people who are rude or disrespectful.”

She elaborated, “Whether it’s online or in person, people disrespecting times and things like that.”

The “Calm Down” hitmaker also weighed in on the debate about dinner as a first-date choice, disagreeing that it’s always a bad idea.

“Why disagree? Why wouldn’t I want to have dinner? Maybe that’s why I was single for so long,” she said.

Reflecting on her first date with her boyfriend Blanco, 36, who was recently shortlisted for Sexiest Man Alive 2024, Gomez said, “I went on a first date with my boyfriend, and I loved it. It was so sweet, we had a fine dinner.”

She added that while group settings can be fun, she naturally gravitates towards deep one-on-one conversations, even at parties, saying, “I’ll find the one person that will sit and talk with me and stay there all night.”

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Gomez got candid about her motherhood dreams, disclosing that she can’t carry her own children and would have to resort to surrogacy or adoption.

“I haven’t ever said this…but I unfortunately can’t carry my own children,” she said. “I have a lot of medical issues that would put my life and the baby’s in jeopardy. That was something I had to grieve for a while.”

She added, “[But] I’m in a much better place with that. I find it a blessing that there are wonderful people willing to do surrogacy or adoption, which are both huge possibilities for me.”

“It made me really thankful for the other outlets for people who are dying to be moms. I’m one of those people,” she continued. “I’m excited for what that journey will look like, but it’ll look a little different. At the end of the day, I don’t care. It’ll be mine. It’ll be my baby.”