Selena hit out at the publication for what she called its “agenda seeking information.”
Selena Gomez was not happy with her Elle cover story.
The singer hit back at the article with a lengthy Instagram post citing problems with the "agenda" of the publication, which titled the interview "Selena Breaks Her Silence." However, what exactly she was upset about was hard to discern.
Selena appeared to be ticked off that her connection to Hillsong Church was discussed in the article. The funny thing is, the Pentecostal church was barely mentioned.
In fact the word Hillsong appeared only three times in the entire piece. The first to say that she lives in Orange County with her friend Raquelle, who also attends the church. The second reference mentioned that Gomez joined A21 after being invited from a fellow Hillsong goer Christine Caine; and the third parenthetically noted that her former boyfriend Justin Bieber and his new fiancee Hailey Baldwin also go to Hillsong.
The "Wolves" singer made a point of speaking about her work with A21, an anti–human-trafficking nonprofit co-founded by Hillsong goer Caine, in the interview.
In the eyes of the TooFab staff, Elle appeared to have no agenda in talking about Hillsong.
However, Selena (without any explanation for what exactly she was offended by) wrote on social media: "Church is a name for something far more personal. There’s always agenda seeking information on such a subject and I understand why. […] I understand that reporters are working to grab the attention of a reader, however I will always work to ensure that what is public represents my truth.
I’m a bit bummed but rarely surprised."
The singer did admit she wanted to promote A21, which was founded by a member of her own church. "The purpose of my interview was three fold. My work with A21, my new collection with Coach, and some new music," Selena said on Instagram.
It is worthy to note, A21 received wide-spread media attention when Vice President Mike Pence’s daughter Charlotte Pence published a children’s book about her father titled "Marlon Bundo’s A Day in the Life of the Vice President," the proceeds of which were donated to A21 (a non-profit she had worked with in the past).
A parody of the illustrated book, titled "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo," hit bookshelves around the same time and poked fun at Vice President Pence’s extreme stance on same-sex marriage (he’s opposed to it). The parody wildly outsold Charlotte Pence’s original and in contrast donated all proceeds to The Trevor Project, a foundation that serves LGBTQ+ youth nationwide.
Also worthy of mention is TooFab’s investigation into Hillsong’s history of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
Read Selena’s entire statement below.
Alright. Speaking from my heart for over an hour to someone who puts those thoughts into paid words can be hard for me. The older I get the more I want my voice to be mine. This is all apart of my work within an industry that’s been around longer than all of us have been. The purpose of my interview was three fold. My work with A21, my new collection with Coach, and some new music. As I’m aware there will always be interests in one’s personal life because that’s the pace of our ‘social’ generation. I’m grateful for my position and I will always find ways to make my job more about others and giving back— all while having the best time with my music, fashion, film and my love for learning about the world that I’m eager to tap into more and more.
Church is a name for something far more personal. There’s always agenda seeking information on such a subject and I understand why. Rarely do I mention church (and I didn’t) but I’ll always feel comfortable talking about my values and beliefs. I respect that from everyone and anyone.
I understand that reporters are working to grab the attention of a reader, however I will always work to ensure that what is public represents my truth.
I’m a bit bummed but rarely surprised.
Y’all know me and my heart. I can’t help it. So I’ll post some of MY photos from the collection and work with A21. My heart. And maybe edit my actual lyrics as you will all hear it soon ?
I love you guys to the moon and back. For more information on the work I do with A21 please, please visit link in my bio. So much more on that soon!
Alright. Speaking from my heart for over an hour to someone who puts those thoughts into paid words can be hard for me. The older I get the more I want my voice to be mine. This is all apart of my work within an industry that’s been around longer than all of us have been. The purpose of my interview was three fold. My work with A21, my new collection with Coach, and some new music. As I’m aware there will always be interests in one’s personal life because that’s the pace of our ‘social’ generation. I’m grateful for my position and I will always find ways to make my job more about others and giving back— all while having the best time with my music, fashion, film and my love for learning about the world that I’m eager to tap into more and more. Church is a name for something far more personal. There’s always agenda seeking information on such a subject and I understand why. Rarely do I mention church (and I didn’t) but I’ll always feel comfortable talking about my values and beliefs. I respect that from everyone and anyone. I understand that reporters are working to grab the attention of a reader, however I will always work to ensure that what is public represents my truth. I’m a bit bummed but rarely surprised. Y’all know me and my heart. I can’t help it. So I’ll post some of MY photos from the collection and work with A21. My heart. And maybe edit my actual lyrics as you will all hear it soon ? I love you guys to the moon and back. For more information on the work I do with A21 please, please visit link in my bio. So much more on that soon!
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