Selena Gomez had one of the most flawlessly smooth transitions from kid-friendly entertainment to entertainment with more adult themes as she got older, which isn’t always the easiest thing to accomplish for child stars.

These are my thoughts.

Selena’s brutal honesty about becoming a woman in front of the world…

Selena has been brutally honest about what it’s felt like for her growing up in front of the lights and cameras and becoming a woman in front of a world who’s always heavily scrutinized her.

She opened up about her time filming spring breakers during an interview with Elle saying, “I was only 18 or 19. It was the first thing I did right after my Disney show and it was such a crazy detour. That’s when I knew I was going to fall in love with filmmakers and really gritty, fun stuff that was a little too graphic. I know that people will judge my involvement in the movie as a whole, I’m prepared to accept that.”

She went on to describe Spring Breakers as a “project I’m proud of despite its uniqueness.”

When Today interviewed her right after the movie premiered in theaters, they asked her about it, and she said, “It was completely liberating. Up until this film, everything I’ve been part of definitely has been a bit more processed… I feel like I did grow up shooting this. This is the first movie I shot by myself without my mom coming. It was the first time I got to improvise as much as I have.“

Selena admitted she knew people would judge her for starring in the movie, but she did it anyway, because it was the right thing for her.

She revealed that starring in that movie specifically helped her feel like she was growing up. It allowed her to embody self growth, which is a beautiful thing.

Along with Wizards of Waverly Place, Selena‘s earlier kid-friendly roles on Barney & Friends, Another Cinderella Story, Ramona & Beezus, Spy Kids 3D, Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and Princess Protection Program really shaped the public perception of who she was as a young starlet.

As the years have progressed, she has reclaimed her identity to prove that who she is in the entertainment industry goes beyond the projects she starred in when she was still a child.

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