Unless you've been living under a rock for the past like, eight years, it's no secret that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez have been the on-and-off again power couple of pop culture since they were first spotted holding hands in 2010.
Because they've had such an iconic and powerful romance, Justin's recent engagement to model Hailey Baldwin came as a shock to many, especially having only dated Hailey for a month. It's hard to imagine Justin dating, let alone marrying, anyone other than his "most elegant princess in the world" Selena.
Most elegant princess in the world. http://t.co/KGGn1u45Z9— Justin Bieber (@Justin Bieber) 1393861970.0
With his engagement, many expressed their concerns for how Selena was handling the news, given that she and Justin had been seen on dates as recently as four months prior to the engagement. Although Jelena was undoubtedly toxic between breaking up and getting back together every week and rumors of cheating, it's impossible not to feel sympathy for Selena after her first love was so quick to call another girl "the love of his life." I'll admit it, I've loved the two together and was rooting for them earlier this year when they chose to rekindle their love. Hearing that Justin threw it all away so quickly devastated me, and I can only imagine how Selena was feeling.
But counteracting the way that most would react after watching their ex rebound and, quite frankly, downgrade (sorry, Hailey), Selena has bounced back and has shown Justin that she is unbothered by his engagement and even better off without him.
Only a few short days after the news of the engagement hit the Internet, Selena was seen on Instagram hanging with her best friend on a ginormous yacht with the New York City skyline behind them. Although she hasn't publicly said anything or hinted about her feelings on his engagement, the smile in the pictures says it all: she's happier without him.
Even as headlines continued to swarm the media, Selena took on the streets of NYC sporting a shirt with the message written on the pocket, "only the strong survive." Knowing that she would be photographed that day and knowing the news that had just been announced, it's hard to believe that this shirt was a coincidence. More importantly, she's still smiling.
Selena's always faced criticism on the Internet for not speaking up for Latina rights, for not promoting Black Lives Matter, and for simply breathing. But with the news of the engagement, the Internet has been on her side. Tweets from both fans and those just reading about Jailey claim that she is finally free and that they hope that Hailey is pregnant so that she'll never go back to Justin.
I actually feel bad for Selena not bc Justin's getting married but bc people are assuming she lost everything. She'… https://t.co/a8hSwIRd7Y— 마리아 (@마리아) 1531231849.0
It's only been a few short days, but Selena is doing better than ever. Surrounding herself with her closest friends and having the time of her life, she's unstoppable. The Jailey engagement may have been what she needed to finally quit Justin and carry on with her best life.