14 DAY TRIAL // Like many young stars, Selena Gomez’s career was also handled by her parents. Her mom Mandy Teefey and her stepdad Brian worked as her managers since her big Disney break – until last month, when she fired them both.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s a family rift or that something really awful happened to make her take this step. However, in many cases, a change in management entails changes in image, so Selena’s decision could indicate she’s thinking of some kind of overhaul where her acting and music career are concerned.
TMZ reports on the firing, though confirmation for it is pending. Apparently, Selena thought she was too old to be managed by her parents anymore.
“We're told Selena feels she's outgrown her parents. She believes she's now old enough – and famous enough – to have a seasoned professional manager with other A-list clients,” the report notes, adding that she’s yet to have found the manager of her dreams.
“Selena has argued plenty with her parents over the direction of her career – not to mention over dating Justin Bieber – but we're told family friction was NOT the reason for the split. We're told Selena remains close with both of her parents, although they're not happy about the decision,” TMZ further says.
Family fights over dating Justin Bieber could explain why Selena is still seeing him whenever she gets the chance, all the while going to painful lengths to not be caught by the paparazzi in the act.
Over the past few months, Justin turned from sweet teen heartthrob into a foul-mouthed, weed-smoking, model-dating, tattooed brat who also got in some problems with the law. Selena was probably warned that the association to him could only prove detrimental to her career, hence all this secrecy.
If one were to speculate on what a change in management could mean in this respect, one would say that Selena would probably want to be a bit more in control of her image. She could also go for a more mature look and sound, which would mean that said association with Bieber would no longer be detrimental, but actually desired.
Right now, even though she’s evolved musically and visually, Selena is still regarded as a Disney star. This isn’t to say that her fans are all kids, but they’re definitely kids who grew up with her and who, for various reasons, can’t or won’t make the difference between her as a young woman and the little girl they knew through Disney.
Selena will never make a change as drastic as Miley, who went from girlie to raunchy in the space of a few weeks, but she will be reinventing herself, that much is sure. Just you wait and see.