Selena and Hailey’s Feud Ignited Once More

In recent weeks, TikTok has become a ground zero for the alleged feud between Ms. Alex Russo herself, Selena Gomez, and 26-year-old model Hailey Bieber. Fans on either side of the great Gomez-Bieber divide have flooded the social media platform with videos either defending or attacking one of the two women. What began with a simple post about eyebrow lamination has since exploded into an entire genre of TikTok videos, aimed at picking apart everything Selena and Hailey have done, said, and posted in recent days. Given that the supposed feud has dominated the social media landscape for several weeks now, we at The Edge have decided to provide a comprehensive rundown of all the recent drama.

First, we’ll provide a bit of background on the drama. The friction between these two can be traced back to 2018 when Justin Bieber proposed to his current wife, Hailey Baldwin, only six months after he and Selena broke up for the last time. This was a major deal, as Selena and Justin’s relationship, affectionately named “Jelena” by their many adoring fans, had dominated pop culture for a decade up until this point. The couple dated on and off from 2008 to 2018 and their relationship quite literally defined love for a generation of kids. 

Justin’s speedy engagement to Hailey was seen by Jelena supporters as a betrayal. Soon after the engagement was announced, rumors began flying. Hailey’s alleged obsession with Selena remains one of the most popular rumors to come out of this drama. Such accusations have recently been reinvigorated by a series of online posts made by both Hailey and her high-profile friends (looking at you, Kylie).

January 9th, 2023

The recent drama all started with a TikTok posted by Hailey at the beginning of the year. The video features Hailey and her friends lip-syncing to a popular sound that says, “And I’m not saying she deserved it, but God’s timing is always right.” The post was quickly deleted after being met with instant backlash. Fans speculated that the video was meant to make fun of Selena, who had recently been body-shamed by the press for a series of vacation photos. 

January 11th, 2023

Hailey denied accusations that the deleted TikTok was meant to shade. She wrote the following reply to a TikTok made by creator @riristea, “I never comment on this type of thing but we were just having a girls night and did a random tik tok sound for fun. It’s not directed at anyone.”

February 9th, 2023

Selena worked to shut down the drama associated with the TikTok. She replied on a TikTok that speculates Hailey’s underlying intentions: “It’s ok! I don’t let these things get me down! Be nice to everyone! x.”

February 22nd, 2023 (Kylie Jenner Has Entered The Chat)

Selena becomes the most followed woman on Instagram with a whopping 382 million followers, surpassing the previous title holder, Kylie Jenner, who still boasts a respectable 380 million followers. 

The same day, Selena posts a TikTok in which she jokes about over-laminating her eyebrows. Later in the day, Kylie Jenner posted an Instagram story with the words “this was an accident???’ over her eyebrows. The suspicions surrounding Kylie’s sketchy post were seemingly confirmed when Kylie shared a FaceTime screenshot with Hailey that featured both of their eyebrows. 

These three seemingly innocuous social media posts have unleashed a monsoon of rumors and accusations by fans on either side. Hailey and Kylie have since been dubbed “mean girls” for their apparent cyberbullying. 

February 23rd, 2023

Kylie speaks out against accusations of bullying Selena in her recent posts, claiming, “this is reaching. no shade towards Selena ever and I didn’t see her eyebrow posts! u guys are making something out of nothing. this is silly.”

Selena responded to Kylie’s comment, “Agreed @kyliejenner It’s all unnecessary. I’m a fan of Kylie!”

Despite their attempt to squash the rumors, TikToks that seem to reinforce Kylie and Hailey’s “mean girl” persona went viral shortly after Selena and Kylie’s exchange. One of these videos featured old footage of Hailey fake gagging at the mention of Taylor Swift–one of Selena’s closest friends. 

In response, Selena wrote, “So sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game.” 

Shortly after, Selena announced a break from social media.

Ongoing Deets

Since Selena announced her social media hiatus, Hailey has yet again been accused of shady behavior. Hailey and Kylie have each lost nearly a million followers on their respective Instagram and TikTok accounts since rumors of the feud began. Selena, on the other hand, has enjoyed an impressive influx of followers, now boasting 392 million followers on Instagram. 

Hailey’s recent posts have been bombarded with comments supporting Selena. Old accusations regarding Hailey’s alleged obsession with Selena have also resurfaced, with many pointing out instances in which Hailey seems to copy Selena’s tattoos, business ventures, and catchphrases. 

Concluding Thoughts

Whether there is any weight behind the rumors or not, it is safe to say that our collective consciousness continues to be impacted by the downfall of Jelena in 2018. One thing is for certain, there has not been enough attention given to Justin’s role in the ongoing drama. Regardless of who started the beef, Justin remains the common denominator in the neverending carousel of toxicity and hate. The fact that the media has zeroed in on Hailey and Selena while completely ignoring Justin’s contribution to the situation speaks volumes about how gender stereotypes guide public perception.