Why Selena Gomez Gets "Triggered" By Her Former Child Star Past

Selena Gomez has enjoyed a very long period of fame. The now 30-year-old actor and musician first appeared on Barney & Friends as a young child, and she first gained fame as a teenager on the Disney Channel program Wizards of Waverly Place. From there, Gomez's career took off, and she hasn't stopped since, putting out albums and appearing in films and TV shows.

Gomez feels free from her child star past. Tinseltown / Shutterstock

Gomez has spoken out frequently about her experiences as a child star and how they affected her. She admits in a recent interview that while feeling more liberated than ever, her past as a child star still occasionally "triggers" her.

Her documentary was very personal and revealing. Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock

Gomez was questioned about once claiming that she was haunted by the idea that she'd always be connected with her time with Disney during an interview for Vanity Fair's Hollywood Issue. She acknowledged that the sentiment has changed since Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me was released in November 2022.

"I definitely feel free of it," Gomez said.

Still, her past sometimes triggers her. DFree / Shutterstock

Gomez's journey with her mental health was recorded in the film "My Mind & Me," which included topics such as her diagnosis with bipolar disorder and her encounter with psychosis. It was difficult for her to tell her story.

"Because I have the platform I have, it's kind of like I'm sacrificing myself a little bit for a greater purpose," Gomez told Rolling Stone ahead of the documentary's release. "I don't want that to sound dramatic, but I almost wasn't going to put this out. God's honest truth, a few weeks ago, I wasn't sure I could do it."

She's done censoring herself. Tinseltown / Shutterstock

Gomez acknowledged that although she had previously stated in the Vanity Fair interview that she felt more liberated, she still occasionally feels "triggered" by her past.

"Sometimes I get triggered," she continued. "It's not that I'm ashamed of my past, it's just that I've worked so hard to find my own way. I don't want to be who I was. I want to be who I am."

Gomez felt under pressure as a young star. Everett Collection / Shutterstock

In the Vanity Fair interview, Gomez discussed instances in which she self-censored. Someone Gomez knows doubts her choice to make her bipolar diagnosis public in My Mind & Me.

"I'm just so used to censoring myself that it was a) me wanting to let go, and b) if they're telling me to be quiet about it, that's not good because that's genuinely not the place I'm in anymore," Gomez explained of her decision.

She's shared similar thoughts in the past. Tinseltown / Shutterstock

She added, "I don't want people to ever have anybody tell them, 'Don't say that because it'll seem bad. You won't get this job or that boy or that girl or whatever.' I guess I was rebelling."

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Gomez also dealt with the idea of self-censorship as a young star.

"I wasn't a wild child by any means, but I was on Disney, so I had to make sure not to say 'What the hell?' in front of anyone," she shared with Vanity Fair of her past. "It's stuff that I was also putting on myself to be the best role model I could be. Now I think being the best role model is being honest, even with the ugly and complicated parts of yourself."

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Back in 2016, Gomez spoke to GQ and acknowledged that the connection to her past would fade. Speaking about the transition from child star to adult she said, "Every single kid who was brought up like this is an easy target," calling the way child stars are treated "disgusting."

She added, "It's like watching a car crash as you're driving past it. You want to watch it."

At the same time, Gomez said she wouldn't fast-forward past the transition period. "No, because I'm not that stupid. And I get it," she said. "I just have to be patient. It's slowly dissolving the older I get. And I just have to be patient and make great things with quality, from producing to singing to acting. And one by one, I will be able to change the dialogue and people won't care about everything that's happened to me."