Selena Gomez, Instagram’s Most Followed Person, Had A ‘Dangerous’ Relationship With The Platform Prior To Her Instagram Success

You’re probably following Selena Gomez on Instagram. The multi-Instagram hyphenate’s account currently has 286 million followers, making it the ninth most popular. She was the most-followed person on Instagram for more than two years before Cristiano Ronaldo (who currently holds the distinction) took over in October 2018. Prior to it, Gomez’s official Instagram account had the most followers. Gomez now acknowledges that she had a “very dangerous” relationship with the site in the past.

Gomez stated of the importance social media plays in her self-confidence in a new interview with InStyle:

“At one point, Instagram became my whole world, and it was really dangerous. In my early 20s, I felt like I wasn’t pretty enough. There was a whole period in my life when I thought I needed makeup and never wanted to be seen without it. The older I got, the more I evolved and realized that I needed to take control of what I was feeling. I wanted to be able to look in the mirror and feel confident to be who I am. Taking a break from social media was the best decision that I’ve ever made for my mental health. I created a system where I still don’t have my passwords. And the unnecessary hate and comparisons went away once I put my phone down. I’ll have moments where that weird feeling will come back, but now I have a much better relationship with myself.”

“I’m a big believer in therapy, and I always feel so confident when I’m taking care of myself,” Gomez said of her counseling and self-care experiences. I won’t go out if I’m not in the best mood and my pals invite me. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve lost my FOMO sense. I sometimes push myself too hard, and it shows in my results. However, I make every effort to strike the right balance. I like to be there for my friends and celebrate everyone. But, you know, I have to make sure I’m okay. Because if I’m not OK, I can’t be OK for other people.”