Selena Gomez says fans want her frozen in 2016

Selena Gomez says fans still want her to look exactly as she did in 2016, and that is not going to happen.

She made the comments in a People cover story published on Sept. 16, as reported by Billboard. Gomez said she thinks people want to freeze her in time to that period of her life.

She said the 2016 throwbacks are fun, but people get really intense. Her words were direct. People always want her to look the way she did in 2016.

Gomez described 2016 as such a hectic period of her life. She was 23 that year. She was also the most-followed person on Instagram.

That year followed a busy run. Her album Revival had been released in October 2015 and topped the Billboard 200, the US album chart. It featured the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits, the US singles chart, ‘Hands to Myself’ and ‘Same Old Love’. She also appeared in the film The Fundamentals of Caring in 2016.

The cover story also covered her marriage. Gomez told People that she and her husband Benny Blanco are still in the honeymoon stage. As of the September 2026 report, the couple were approaching their one-year wedding anniversary.

She described Blanco as a joyful, fun and spontaneous person who loves to talk and genuinely listens. Blanco is a songwriter and producer. Gomez owns the beauty business Rare Beauty.

Gomez also hinted at wanting to start a family with Blanco, according to Yahoo. After the wedding, the pair took a “little honeymoon” road trip, People reported last October. A source at the time described it as perfect, saying they enjoyed slowing down together.

For anyone who keeps those old photos on their phone, the message is plain. Gomez is not living in that year any more.