Selena Gomez is threatening to delete her Instagram account. She was heavily criticized online for not being clear enough about comments she made seemingly referencing the current conflict between Israel and Palestine. As of Friday morning, the My Mind & Me singer’s account was still active.
With 430 million followers on Instagram, Gomez is the most followed woman on the platform and the third most followed person after fútbol players Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
“I’m taking a break and deleting my Instagram,” Gomez wrote on her Instagram stories. “I do not support any of what’s going on.”
The backlash comes after she said she was taking a break from social media.
“I’ve been taking a break from social media because my heart breaks to see all of the horror, hate, violence and terror that’s going on in the world,” she wrote. “People are being tortured and killed or any act of hate towards any one group is horrific. We need to protect ALL people, especially children and stop the violence for good.” People thought she was talking about Israel and Palestine.
Gomez continued: “I’m sorry if my words will never be enough for everyone or a hashtag. I just can’t stand by innocent people getting hurt. That’s what makes me sick. I wish I could change the world. But a post won’t.”
Negative comments towards Gomez came fast with many people pushing back against the idea that she can’t “change the world” with a single post. “Selena Gomez having one of the most followed accounts on insta decides to make a neutral statement,” one person wrote.
Others criticized her for making posts on her support of Ukraine, Black Lives Matter, and other social issues, but not on Israel and Palestine.
