Selena Gomez Opens Up About How She Finds Strength and True Beauty

“Strength doesn’t mean that you have to put on a façade.”

Do you consider strength to be putting on a brave face even though everything around you feels overwhelmingly difficult? Selena Gomez does too, but she also thinks it is equally important to show your vulnerability in front of others. In her new interview with Time, which celebrates her being the first person to reach 100 million followers on Instagram, Selena opened up about how much social media has shaped the way young people view themselves — and how she uses her platform to remind others they’re not alone in their struggles.

“I am glad I grew up in the time that I did. I think it’s really hard to be a kid now, especially with social media,” Selena said. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up with that. It’s already difficult to get up every day and just feel good about yourself without seeing the highlights of everyone else’s life.”

But Selena added that this is exactly the phenomenon that fuels her to open up to her followers in an authentic way. It’s so easy to think of platforms like Instagram as a place where celebrities only put their best face forward and show off only their shiniest accomplishments.

“That’s why I like being vulnerable with my fans on social media. I like that they’ve seen my mistakes,” she shared. “I try to use that as a way to connect with them. That’s all I can do. I hope that they know that strength doesn’t mean that you have to put on a façade. Strength is being vulnerable.”

How beautiful is that?

To hear more from Selena, make sure to check out her brand new video interview below.