Selena Gomez Says People Want to ‘Freeze’ Her at How She Looked in 2016

Selena Gomez is responding to people who want her to look the way she did a decade ago.

The 34-year-old Only Murders in the Building actress and Rare Beauty founder opened up about aging and the attention that continues to surround her appearance, especially photos from her 2016 era.

In a new interview with People, Selena explained why she has no interest in trying to recreate how she looked at 24.

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Selena Gomez Responds to People Comparing Her to Her 2016 Look

Selena said she still sees people posting throwback photos and asking for her old look back.

“I got to be honest, the 2016 throwbacks and all of it is so much fun, but people get really intense,” she admitted.

“I always make this joke where I think people want to freeze me in time to that period of my life,” she told the outlet, referring to the attention around her appearance in 2016.

“I think people always want me to look the way I did, and that’s just not going to happen.”

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Selena Gomez Says People Want to ‘Freeze’ Her in Time

She also speculated about why people are so fixated on that point in her life.

“It was probably more interesting because I’m now chilling, which is great. But it was such a hectic period in my life… of course I had to rock a smoky eye. I was trying to be cool!” she reflected.

Rather than trying to fight aging, Selena said she is embracing the changes.

“I love getting older,” she said.

The singer and actress explained that her approach to beauty has also become more natural and relaxed as she has gotten older.

“That’s kind of my whole identity now, is really connecting with just natural beauty,” she said.

“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.”

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Selena Gomez Opens Up About Her Younger Sister Gracie

Selena also reflected on the confidence she sees in her younger sister Gracie Teefey, saying she wishes she had possessed that same level of self-assurance when she was younger.

“She’s 13 and has more confidence than I do. She is actually so thrilled to try things, but she also knows she doesn’t need it,” Selena explained.

Selena recently stepped out at the 2026 Emmy Awards, where she was nominated alongside the cast of Only Murders in the Building.

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