“I want nothing more than to be able to be remembered by things like this more than anything else, because this is what makes me happy.”
Last night, Selena Gomez hosted the third annual Rare Beauty Mental Health Summit in New York City.
Gomez, who took some time off from filming season 4 of her hit Hulu show Only Murders in the Building to attend the event, was styled by Erin Walsh. She cut a striking figure in the off-white Amber cocktail dress by Australian designer Tony Maticevski — incidentally, this is the same designer behind Taylor Swift's white gown in her "Fortnight" music video. With its structured, crinkled neck line and asymmetrical hem, the dress straddled the line between classic simplicity and statement dressing. Gomez paired the artistic dress with a sleek ponytail, a pair of chic gold earrings by Tabayer and nude Manolo Blahnik pumps.
It was, in many ways, a perfect physicalization of the topics on hand at the event — a fresh, clean, blank slate, if you will. And what could be better for a day of conversations about clearing the mind and prioritizing mental health?
During the summit, Gomez opened up about her own mental health journey. "I’ve had a very complex relationship with social media,” she said. “I remember when it came out, it was the weirdest thing. I didn’t believe it would do anything. And I recognized that a lot of feelings that I didn’t feel growing up just started happening. So it would make me feel like I wasn’t good enough or I wasn’t really leading a good life or, ‘Oh, everybody else did this,’ and I know it’s just very silly."
Gomez went on to recall how taking four years off helped her find more balance. "That was the best gift I could have given myself, because I was actually aware of what was happening. I would get phone calls from friends instead of, ‘Did you see my story?’ It was like, ‘Well then, tell me your story.’ It’s like now I can have communication.”
Later, Gomez added that her main priority is campaigning for mental health. “I want nothing more than to be able to be remembered by things like this more than anything else, because this is what makes me happy,” she said.
Gomez took to Instagram to share a statement about the summit.
"Our 3rd annual @rarebeauty Mental Health Summit has me leaving inspired by the next generation, filled with so much hope, and grateful to each of you for being on this meaningful journey with us," she wrote. "Mental health means so much to me and I’m honored we get to share this mission with the world together."