Team Hailey or Team Selena?

Hailey and Selena edit by Gladys Lopez

These past weeks the internet has been inundated with team Hailey or team Selena discourse; however, truth be told, it's been more of a hate train against Hailey Bieber than anything else. The drama between the two women has been going on since 2014, and at the center of it all is Justin Bieber and devoted fans with deep parasocial relationships. However, while the newest rendition of the drama started with eyebrows, indirect passive-aggressive social media posts, and mean-girl accusations, the two women may have more in common than people think. 

Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez 

A brief rundown of the feud between the two women is that Selena Gomez was in an almost decade-long on-again-off-again relationship with Justin Bieber that ultimately came to a close in 2018. During that same time, Hailey Bieber was also in an on-again-off-again relationship with Justin Bieber, and they eventually got married in 2018. Since then, petty drama between the women has been reoccurring. 

However, although the internet has deemed the ladies sworn enemies, the two have similar political leanings. Hailey and Selena often use their platforms to encourage people to vote and share their political thoughts. Hailey has been vocal about encouraging people to vote. For example, during the midterms, Hailey Bieber collaborated with Levi's and partnered with the nonprofit group I am a Voter to encourage people to vote. On multiple occasions, Hailiey has expressed the importance of young people needing to vote and has used her Instagram to encourage her 49.5 million followers to vote. She's also celebrated the Biden/Harris win and has had social media takeovers to amplify Black voices. 

Hailey Posing For Levi's Collaboration Wearing a Vote Shirt

Levi's Instagram Post on October 28, 2020

Hailey Bieber Instagram Post on October 7, 2022

Hailey Bieber and Rhode Instagram Post on November 8, 2022

Hailey Bieber Instagram Post on November 7, 2020

Hailey Bieber Instagram Takeover Post on March 2, 2021

Similarly, Selena has posted on her Instagram about the importance of voting. Selena is the most followed person on Instagram, with 412 million followers, meaning she has a vast platform and hasn't been shy about using it to promote her politics like Hailey. For example, Selena has posed with a 'I Voted' shirt ahead of the 2020 election. In addition, she's used her platform to endorse candidates such as Beto O'Roruke and has also had social media takeovers to amplify Black voices.

Selena Gomez Instagram Post on October 22, 2020

Selena Gomez Instagram Story Posted on November 3, 2020

Selena Gomez Post on September 24, 2020

Selena Gomez Instagram Story

Selena Gomez Instagram Takeover Post on June 18, 2020

Hailey and Selena are team democrats who are not shy about posting it. The two ladies frequently use their platforms to influence voters of all ages to vote. 

Image Sources:

Bailey, Alyssa. 2020. “Selena Gomez Implores People to Vote Today: ‘Please Vote in Person at This Point If You Can, Especially in My Home Town like Texas, and Pennsylvania and Florida. Your Voice Matters so Much. People Think That It Doesn’t Matter but Other Elections Have Been This Close before.’ Pic.twitter.com/tjwjgtwrzy.” Twitter. November 3, 2020. https://twitter.com/alyssabailey/status/1323615946318241792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1323615946318241792%7Ctwgr%5E3557193f931f7c50d992e686c3490e2c4ee66374%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.elle.com%2Fculture%2Fcelebrities%2Fa34560839%2Fselena-gomez-vote-election-day-message%2F.

Cynthia Cano- Beto for Texas. 2022. “Selena Gomez Endorses Beto! Pic.twitter.com/ew0jnaxlxx.” Twitter. November 7, 2022. https://twitter.com/ccano1971/status/1589646957642907648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1589646957642907648%7Ctwgr%5Eb3df73adc2f1a0bc14f080a1a5aae15495fbb043%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chron.com%2Fpolitics%2Farticle%2Fselena-gomez-beto-orourke-election-17565430.php.

@haileybieber. 2020. “💙💙💙💙!!!!!!!!!!!!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CHTCY5LlxSr/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link.

———. 2021. “Today’s Takeover Is Oge Egbuonu!:” https://www.instagram.com/p/CL7Nw6KFoqJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link.

———. 2022. “Make Sure You’re Registered.” https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjbHKCHAFaI/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=57bc0da2-5bda-4efc-a915-3ef9a5d46675.

@levis. 2022. “Women’s Rights Are High on My List.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CkRHYfPveZP/.

@rhode, and @haileybieber. 2022. “Today Is Election Day! 🗳.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CktNWHcpK5W/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link.

@selenagomez. 2020a. “Make Your Voice Heard in the 2020 Election.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CFiElbNjKAc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link.

———. 2020b. “Just Finished Filling out My Ballot!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CGp_hsjAMUU/.

@selenagomze. 2020. “I Want to Thank All of the Amazing People That Took the Time to Speak to Us Directly.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CBmLPCEDXkG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link.

Whitman, Sara. 2022. “Hailey Bieber Rocks ‘Vote’ Crop Top for New Levi’s Campaign Ahead of Midterm Elections: Photos.” Hollywood Life. November 7, 2022. https://hollywoodlife.com/2022/11/07/hailey-bieber-vote-crop-top-midterm-elections-photos/.

Yasharoff, Hannah. 2023. “Selena Gomez, Hailey and Justin Bieber, and Why There’s No Winner in This Hateful Online Drama.” USA Today, March 16, 2023. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2023/03/16/selena-gomez-hailey-justin-bieber-drama-toxic-online-hate/11476744002/.