[quote]Can any of you youngsters provide a link of her performing in something earlier that might provide some illumination for me that drives those 427,000,000 fans crazy?
Sure, Gramps. She started out as a child actor at the age of 10, first on "Barney & Friends" (yes, seriously) and later as the lead on the Disney show "The Wizards of Waverly Place," which ran for five seasons. (It did well enough that Selena became one of the ten highest-paid child actors of all time.) From there she continued acting but also segued more into music, which she'd started during her Disney years. Her band's first single, which she released at the ripe old age of 17, went 4x platinum, and although she later went solo and experimented with a variety of different music styles, she was one of the top-selling musicians of the entire 2010s.
In stark contrast to today's "nepo babies," Selena started with nearly nothing. Her mom got knocked up in high school in the Dallas area, and had Selena at 16. They were financially troubled for most of her youth, and partially homeless on occasion. After her initial "Barney" success, she mostly got minor acting jobs in Texas, but then got her big break with "Waverly Place." (Btw the subsequent TV movie made after the series ended is still the second highest-rated cable movie of all time, behind "High School Musical: The Musical.")
What I think *really* sealed her place as an icon, however, is how open she's been with her mental health struggles. I know there's a far greater emphasis placed on mental health today versus five years ago, but Selena was doing it TEN years ago, after cancelling the final part of a world tour due to lupus. She's also one of the only major celebrities who've openly, and without prompting, admitted they're bipolar. (As opposed to, say, Britney Spears, whose bipolar disorder was basically revealed when the papps snapped her shaving her head & she had all the 5150 holds and conservatorship.)
Also, while Gen Z celebs are *definitely* more openly political than any prior generation, Selena's advocacy for a WIDE variety of causes – including a ton of LGBTQIA+ ones btw, for which she's been honored by GLAAD – definitely stands out. Starting at 16 (!) she launched a get-out-the-vote campaign in advance of the 2008 election (and I assume it's stating the obvious she was an Obama supporter). And while Angelina Jolie makes sure a sizable PR entourage covers her every move "helping" troubled African countries, Selena's given FAR more time AND money to similar causes, but along a far greater breadth of fields. After George Floyd's murder, she let the co-founder of Black Lives Matter take over her Instagram account and its obviously huge following to educate her followers about systemic racism and police brutality. She's been extremely outspoken about abortion rights, even *before* Roe v. Wade was overturned, and she's possibly been most involved with UNICEF and its efforts to provide clean drinking water to Africa – and if you're not familiar with the topic, I'll just note that nearly all of Africa's groundwater supplies are toxic, and its myriad problems are one of the main reasons people throughout the African continent have significantly weakened immune systems. (Among other things, it's why HIV & AIDS are as prevalent there among heterosexuals, including women, as gays.)
Finally, the one colossal advantage that comes with having 400 million Instagram followers is that any person in that position has enough influence to generate vast sums from both sponsored posts and ones encouraging donations: she's paid $1.7 million PER POST (!), and in many cases donates the entire amount to one of the myriad causes she supports.
