Selena Opens Up About Feeling Really Violated As A Young Star

Selena Gomez Opens Up About Feeling 'Really Violated' As A Young Star & The 'Slimy' Downside Of Fame

Selena Gomez's Disney days bring back some rough memories.

Continuing in her interview with Business of Fashion, the actress recalled what it was like growing up in the spotlight, especially once she started getting attention for her looks.

Related: Selena Defends DACA In Political Post For Her Followers!

The former Wizards of Waverly Place starlet shared it completely changed her idea of fame:

"I think it changed when I started getting known for things that weren't [related to] my work. That's when my passion started to really feel like it was going further and further away. And that scared me."

And explained how it all "flipped" when she grew older:

"When I was younger, it was all fun to me. When I did state fairs and 100 people would show up, I would be stoked. That was the best feeling in the world. But when I got older, I started to become exposed to the truth behind some stuff and that's when it flipped a little bit. I realized that, 'Oh this is actually really hard, and kind of slimy in certain areas,' and I didn't realize that certain people wanted certain things from me. My confidence went through a lot with that."

One particular memory that comes to mind? Selly remembered being photographed at the beach as a teen:

"I remember just feeling really violated when I was younger, even just being on the beach. I was maybe 15 or 16 and people were taking pictures — photographers. I don't think anyone really knew who I was. But I felt very violated and I didn't like it or understand it, and that felt very weird, because I was a young girl and they were grown men. I didn't like that feeling."

It only got worse when she turned 18:

"Then, I would say the last season of my show, I was probably 18 years old, is when I felt like the flip happened. I didn't feel like it was about my art as much. I was on the fourth season of the show, and I felt like I was outgrowing it. I wanted something different and obviously I fell in love for the first time. There was all this stuff that was happening and I didn't know what to do."

As you probably remember, Gomez was dating Justin Bieber at the time.

It was also not long after this time that Selena took a break from doing music with Selena Gomez & The Scene, but she couldn't stay away too long:

"Well I stopped as well. I stopped and then I continued, because I realized that I needed to challenge myself. Do I really love this? Is this worth it anymore? I would look at my crowd on tour and think, 'Yes, this is worth it, right?' But then I would look at myself in the mirror and I just felt like 'I've had enough, I don't know if I can go on anymore.' And I stopped it for a second. But it didn't mean that I didn't love it, I just had to find what I was going to do with it. As long as I'm healthy and happy in my mind, I'm all about it."

The 25-year-old later explained there had been a few moments when she was ready to stop again:

"I've been through a lot, and I was so young, and there were so many moments where I felt like, 'You know what, I'm done.' But there is this fire in me that I can't explain. I'll have two days off and it burns. There's something inside me that knows I'm supposed to be doing something. I want to be communicating and creating and being stimulated. I want to keep doing things, keep progressing. I always want to challenge myself. So, I want to do the best that I can possibly do. It's cheesy but it's the truth."

Read on for more HIGHlights from the actress and singer:

On how she copes with being in the spotlight: "Balance the power of saying no and self-care. I have to take care of myself and not feel guilty about it. I will say no when I need to say no, and I will make sure that I will not overdo everything because I feel like if I don't accept everything that's happening then maybe it seems like I'm ungrateful, or I'm not doing enough. I just have to take care of myself. Therapy, faith, hard work, kindness. That's it."

On what makes her happy: "My boyfriend [The Weeknd] just got me a beautiful Chanel bag, and [I love it.] It wasn't because it was a Chanel bag, it's because of where it came from and what it meant. So I wear it so proudly, and I feel cute when I have it on. I feel like, 'I love this!' it makes me so happy. It literally just happened so all my friends are laughing because every time I have it on, I feel a certain way. And that to me is an experience. I see both sides, because I get to work and do different things. My job requires me to travel but I've been to a lot of places and I've seen nothing, so there's that too."

You've got to applaud her for being so candid!

Hopefully the star has no regrets!

[Image via Business of Fashion.]