Selena may have gone through a rough patch, but she has picked herself up and is learning from her mistakes. When taking the stage at a We Day conference in Oakland, California, she came clean about her recent trip to rehab when she ‘lost sight of herself,’ and admitted that she gave in to peer pressure.
On March 26, Selena Gomez broke her silence about her choice to go to rehab in January. Selena, 21, was a featured speaker at the We Day conference in Oakland, California. We Day, a movement to show how young people are changing the world, was a perfect opportunity for her to speak out, and tell other young people how they can learn from her mistakes. Watch her inspiring speech below.
Selena Gomez’s We Day Speech — Watch
Selena, 21, may have a career in motivational speaking.
“I am not an activist. I haven’t changed the world or led a campaign,” Selena said to the screaming fans. “I’m here to just tell you my path so that you can hopefully take something away from it because I don’t like being honest with press and interviews. I like being honest with you directly.”
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She went on to explain that her biggest influence in her life is her mother — the epitome of a strong woman in her eyes, as she had Selena when she was only 16 and raised her in the best way possible. That being said, Selena shared that it was her mother who gave her the best advice — “to always trust in yourself.” It’s hard for her to do this with the pressures she approaches on a daily basis.
Selena: ‘I Lost Sight Of Who I Was’
“I’m surrounded by people who are supposed to guide me and some of them have and others haven’t,” she told the audience of young men and women. “They pressure me, [saying] ‘You gotta be sexy, you gotta be cute, you gotta be nice, you gotta be all these things.’ You can all relate. You all have pressure that you have to deal with every day — with school, with work, with friends, with parents, with family. They tell me what to wear, how to look, what I should say, how I should be.”
It’s all about who you surround yourself with, and Selena now knows that.
“Until recently, I had given into that pressure, I lost sight of who I was,” she revealed, clearly getting choked up. “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.”
At the end of the speech, she admitted that she has made mistakes and has given in to the pressures, but she has learned from those mistakes. She also made sure that the audience knew that this speech wasn’t about her, but about them.
It’s All About Being Kind & Love
“All I really want you to know is that you are changing the world, I’m not changing the world, you’re changing the world and that’s amazing,” she said. “Please just be kind to each other and love and inspire people, because . . . Let’s do it, let’s change the game! The most important thing is that we learn and we continue to learn form each other. Please stay true to each other and know that we have each others’ backs; all of us have each other’s back.”
She also left them with one last wish for them.
“I hope I can inspire each and every one of you to just trust yourselves and to love and be loved . . . this is such a beautiful thing you’re doing. Be proud of yourselves!”
HollywoodLifers — what did you think of Selena’s speech? Do you think it was inspiring? Let us know!
— Emily Longeretta
Follow @EmilyLongeretta
