14 DAY TRIAL // Selena Gomez checked into rehab for two weeks earlier this year, with reports saying she did it to get her drinking and partying under control, and also to rediscover her true self. While she’s yet to confirm that she went to rehab, the other day, she talked about the stint in somewhat vague terms, tearing up while she did so.
Selena was the guest of honor at the We Day California event, held at the Oracle Arena in Oakland and, as she says in her speech, she accepted the invite because, while she doesn’t consider she’s worthy of all the attention because she doesn’t really do anything special to change the world, she hopes her experience will help and motivate others.
You will find the speech embedded in the video below.
Again, Selena doesn’t mention the word “rehab” and she doesn’t even hint at a possible timeframe for when she was an in-patient, but she talks in no uncertain terms about going through a very rough patch because of the huge amount of pressure she’s constantly under.
“I'm surrounded by people who are supposed to guide me and some of them have and others haven't,” she says, before adding that she, as a pop star, always has to be a certain way to please as many people as possible.
The day came when she, out of her desire to rise to the standards of others, tried to change herself to be what they wanted her to be. It was then that she cracked, presumably.
“They tell me what to wear, how to look, what I should say, how I should be. Until recently I had given into that pressure, I lost sight of who I was. I listened to opinions of people and I tried to change who I am because I thought others would accept me for it. And I realized I don't know how to be anything but myself,” Selena says, her voice trembling distinctly.
However, Selena’s speech wasn’t about her troubles even though it mentioned them in detail. Her goal was to tell her teenage fans that they’re not alone, that she understands because she’s also been where they are.
With a lot of honesty and warmth, she urges them to not give up on their dreams, to not let the people around them tell them they can’t do what they want, that they’re not worthy enough or good enough. Selena’s advice to her audience is to just “be yourself” and not give into pressure.
Check it out.
