Selena Gomez turned 30 on July 22. She’s been around since she was so young, but has been in the public eye so long, that she seems younger and older than her years at the same time. Selena had a blowout birthday weekend with lots of celebrations, including a big, formal party and smaller dinners with friends. At the big party, Selena wore a Versace gown, but later changed into a short, sequined dress with a feather hem. Everyone dressed up, there were lots of roses, a photo booth, and a cake that referenced her time on Barney. At some point during the weekend Selena had a private dinner with Taylor Swift and went to Nobu with friends. It sounds like an awesome birthday weekend and afterward Selena took to Instagram to mark the milestone.
Selena Gomez is looking back on the last decade of her life as she enters into a new one.
After turning the big 3-0 on July 22, the actress, singer and Rare Beauty founder reflected on her 20s in a candid Instagram post on Monday, admitting she finally “had a moment to catch up” now that her birthday celebrations have subsided.
“My twenties were a journey through good, hard and beautiful moments that I will never forget,” the Only Murders in the Building star wrote, captioning two black-and-white portraits of her from her birthday party. “Each of them has shaped me into the person that I am today.”
“I am someone who is still learning, but is more certain about what matters and what she wants,” Gomez continued. “Someone who is grateful for every single gift and every single lesson along the way. I am walking forward encouraged by so many strong, empowering people around me. I want to try my best to take the beautiful and the painful one day at a time and let it all make me into the very best me that I can be for myself/others/you.”
She went on to share that her “heart feels full” and “grateful” after “a few days of celebrating.”
“I can say that I’m starting to really like 30,” she said, before expressing gratitude towards her friends, followers and fans. “Thank you SO much for being a part of my life, here’s to another decade! Love you all inside and out so much it hurts!”
Gomez rang in her 30th with friends including pal Taylor Swift by her side.
The “Love You Like a Love Song” singer shared pictures of her birthday celebrations with Swift on Instagram. In one shot, Swift, 32, held up three fingers as Gomez hugged her friend with a big smile. Another found the Country star giving a thumbs up to the camera as Gomez laughed while appearing to opening up a present from Swift.
“30, nerdy and worthy,” Gomez wrote in the post’s caption.
On her Instagram Story, Gomez also thanked her fans for their birthday wishes.
“Thank you guys so much for all the bday love!!” she said.
She continued, “This year, my biggest wish is for donations to the Rare Impact Fund to support mental health. Together we can reduce the stigma [associated] with mental health and increase access to resources.”
“Love you guys so much!” Gomez wrote.
Selena’s post split the difference between commemorating her 20s and looking toward the future, her 30s. She’s been through a lot in her teens and 20s and it seems like she’s grown up right before our eyes, which seems a little weird to say because I’m only three years older than her. (I also wish I could do 30 over, since I spent most of that year in covid lockdown. So maybe I should consider myself closer to Selena’s age). Everyone’s 20s are a bit messy and it seems like Selena is really on the other side of that now. She definitely ended her 20s well, given her recent career moves and successes, especially including her involvement in and producer Emmy nom for the best show ever.
Selena was obviously thinking about turning 30 and planning the party for a while, telling The Hollywood Reporter in June: “I am happy getting older. I find that my toleration for any sort of discomfort, usually disrespect or whatever, even just unnecessary stuff — I feel so glad that it’s not taking over me anymore. My emotions are mine and I am allowed to feel them however I want to feel them. But I am having a party because I was like, ‘You know what? All my friends back home are married with kids, so I’m just gonna throw my own party.” I’m glad she threw the big party that she wanted for herself, and based on the birthday celebrations alone, Selena really did start out 30 on a high note. Selena seems like she’s in a balanced place now in terms of her mental and physical health, and professional and personal life. It’s nice to see her happy and healthy. I do hope that her comment to The Hollywood Reporter about her therapist asking “‘Girl, are you ever gonna find a man?!’” was hyperbole because wow, let the woman live and and do what she wants to do.
Photos credit: Avalon.red, Cover Images and via Instagram
honestly can’t believe sel is 30
I’m 39 and for me the 30s sweet spot was 32-35. Having my son definitely slowed some things down and now I’m just looking for 40s. It’s ghetto here 🤦🏾♀️
I will be 29 this November and I’m honestly looking forward to my 30s. My 20s have been fun in some ways but they’ve also been so vulnerable and scary at times. I spent my early and mid 20s either trapped in mental illness, hiding from mental illness, or doing the painful work to get out of it. It’s only in these last few years that I’ve finally started taking steps toward an actual career that I can be proud of. I still feel behind compared to so many of my peers, but I’ve learned the hard way that comparison will get me nowhere. My 20s were about learning to survive, 30s will be about learning to thrive.
Steph, Good God, you’re a BABY! Say the number with pride. If you don’t, I will (but no one would believe me).
She is so adorable and I would easily take her for 22. But then, I’m old, so . . .
She looks so beautiful and glowing with happiness. Good for her.
I really like Selena Gomez. I also feel like she really dodged a bullet with Justin Bieber and I’m proud she didn’t fall down that path with him.
I love Selena in Only Murders In the Building. In a lot of ways, her character is an older, edgier version of her Wizards of Waverly Place character, but I enjoyed her in that show too. I always liked that my kids had a good character to watch on TV who was smart, witty, assertive, and a little acerbic. It was a nice departure from the perky, gum-snapping, air-headed Barbie dolls that were in everything else.
I feel the same way now that I’m almost 31 even though I loathed turning 30. I still say I’m 29 and holding like the Nanny. But it’s been a good year.
It makes me feel a little bit old that “Only Murders in the Building” is my first exposure to her. I never saw any of her Disney channel stuff, couldn’t name a single song, never bought any of her products. I’d heard of her, of course, but didn’t know anything else. And “Only Murders” is really, really good. That role feels tailored to her, gives her a lot to do and its refreshing that she’s not a love interest for either of the (much) older co-leads.
TBH I’m 33 and Only Murders is the first thing of hers I’ve watched – I think her audience always tended to be younger than her own age (because of Disney etc)
Like, it’s my Gen Z colleagues who know/care the most about her.
Though that’s no shade to her – I think that’s a general trend for musicians/actors – that their fans tend to be a bit younger than they are, as in terms of aspiration and success, people tend to look up to those slightly older than they are.
AND of course, Hollywood casts older actors as younger characters – so a 16 year old watching ’16 year old’ characters played by 24 year olds end up being fans of slightly older people who feel like their contemporaries but actually aren’t
I can’t believe Sel is already 30!
I don’t blame her for not wanting a relationship after the hell she went through with Beibs.
I love a story Selena told about Bieber. They were on tour together and she wore high heels. He complained about that (he’s only about 5 feet tall, someone told me this who saw him in person). Selena replied, “Your short, Justin. Embrace it.” Have to love an acerbic, smart comeback.