Selena Gomez made it clear that despite people wanting her to look the way she did nearly a decade ago, back in 2016, it was 'not going to happen.'
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleSelena Gomez’s recent appearance at the 2026 Emmy Awards had become a major topic of discussion among fans. The singer looked stunning in a shimmering gold-accented Louis Vuitton gown. However, fans could not help but notice Selena’s changed facial look, with many thinking it was the result of a botched Botox procedure.
As her photos from the event circulated online, some netizens even compared her to Madonna in her 60s. Now, days later, Selena opened up about embracing aging despite people wanting to ‘freeze her’ to how she looked almost a decade ago.
Selena Gomez turned 34 years old in 2026. The actress noted that as she looks ahead to the next chapters of her life, she is completely fine with embracing aging. She revealed that she is not scared to age and believes that getting older has been so much fun. She added:
“I love getting older. Yeah, things are going to change, and things are going to sag, but you’re alive... I think age is just a number in many ways.”
Fans of Selena Gomez might already be aware that her looks from almost a decade ago, especially from 2016, often go viral. In fact, her brand Rare Beauty decided to hop on the 2016 nostalgia trend at the beginning of this year by posting several pictures of their founder. Alongside the snaps where Selena had a sultry look complete with a smoky eye, they wrote, “We heard 2026 is the new 2016 @selenagomez.”
Having seen the trend, Selena said that the 2016 throwbacks were quite fun; however, she also couldn't help but notice how intense some people get. She revealed that she thinks her fans want to freeze her in that period of her life. She said:
“I got to be honest, the 2016 throwbacks and all of it is so much fun, but people get really intense. I always make this joke where I think people want to freeze me in time to that period of my life. I don’t know... maybe it was probably more interesting because I’m now chilling, which is great.”
The Lose You To Love Me singer explained that it was a hectic period in her life. But Selena just had to rock a smoky eye since she was trying to be cool. At present, she tends to go for a more understated look since her makeup philosophy has evolved over time. And even though people want Selena to look like she did back in the day, she made it clear that it was not going to happen. In her words:
“Now I do a smoky eye, and it just looks a little different. I think people always want me to look the way I did, and that’s just not going to happen. Sometimes people don’t like the natural beauty look, but that’s kind of my whole identity now, is really connecting with just natural beauty.”
For those unaware, Selena Gomez attended the 2026 Emmys thanks to her nomination for Only Murders in the Building. Some of her photos from the red carpet, which went viral on the internet, led many to share their unfiltered opinion on Selena’s changed look. They wondered if she got Botox done, which resulted in her ‘botched’ face.
Comparing Selena to Madonna, who is 60 years old, a user wrote, “Looking like 60-year-old Madonna in your 30s is insane; that's why you shouldn't do fillers and Botox, kids.” Another user commented, “She's so botched wtf.”
What are your thoughts on Selena Gomez’s claim that people want to freeze her to how she looked in 2016?
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