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Selena Gomez is one of the modern-day celebrities who has spoken about mental health and opened up about her issues with the same. The singer revealed her bipolar disorder diagnosis during an Instagram Live session with Miley Cyrus. In 2019, Selena also discussed her struggles with anxiety and depression, noting that she was terrified but relieved when she got her diagnosis. She claimed that the diagnosis helped her gain awareness about the issue.
In 2022, Selena and her mother Mandy Teefey, co-founded the website "Wondermind," which aims to help people work on their "mental fitness." The website also claims that it wanted to create an easy and inclusive space for people to discuss and navigate their feelings.
Selena Gomez also has several tattoos that can be considered a form of self-expression, including a semi-colon on her wrist. She got the tattoo in 2017 as a tribute to the show 13 Reasons Why, for which she was an executive producer. Gomez got the tattoo along with co-stars of the show, Tommy Dorfman (who plays Ryan Shaver) and Alisha Boe (who plays Jessica Davis).
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The semi-colon tattoo is a representation of mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Although the semi-colon isn't Selena's first tattoo, it is one of the few matching tattoos she has along with several other designs that hold deep symbolism for her.
Selena Gomez's semicolon tattoo: A tribute to mental health
Selena Gomez was one of the executive producers for the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why, which debuted on the platform in 2017. Following the show's release, the singer and two of the show's stars, Tommy Dorfman and Alisha Boe got matching semi-colon tattoos on their wrists.
The tattoo was the cast's way of showing unified support and advocacy for mental health and suicide awareness, the central theme of 13 Reasons Why. The tattoos are also a tribute to Hannah Baker (played by Katherine Langford), the show's central character.
13 Reasons Why, based on Jay Asher's book of the same name, follows high school student Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) as he tries to figure out the reason behind Hannah's suicide based on tapes she leaves behind.
The semi-colon tattoo is symbolic of the mental health non-profit Project Semicolon which supports those suffering from depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and other similar issues. According to the founder of Project Semicolon, Amy Bleuel, the use of the semi-colon in this context is derived from its grammatical use.
She said that authors use semi-colons to continue a sentence instead of ending it, which is the message they hope to spread, that the person chooses to keep going. Meanwhile, for Gomez, the tattoo is also representative of her mental health struggles.
Selena Gomez has previously battled depression and anxiety and was hospitalized in a mental health ward in 2018. She was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has spoken about it on multiple occasions. She has advocated for mental health awareness and therapy following her experience with the same.
Selena Gomez's other meaningful tattoos
The Only Murders In The Building star has several meaningful tattoos the first of which she got in 2012. It was a musical note and is on her right wrist. Her other tattoos include:
1) The music note is reportedly Selena's first tattoo, which she debuted in 2012. Explaining the reason behind it, she said that it was because music had a huge influence on her life. She also referenced the fact that she was named after the late Latin singer, Selena Quintanilla-Perez.
2) The word "Rare" is tattooed below her right ear. It honors her 2020 album as well as the name of her beauty line "Rare Beauty."
3) The Wizards of Waverly Place star has the letter "g" written in small caps under her left ear and is a tribute to her younger half-sister Gracie, who the singer is close to.
4) Selena Gomez has several matching tattoos with her close friends, including the number "1" with her oldest best friend, Courtney Barry. The singer shared an Instagram post about the tattoo, expressing love for her friend in the caption.
"The way you handle life’s most confusing moments is indescribable and graceful."
5) Selena Gomez has the phrase "Love Yourself First" tattooed in Arabic on the side of her ribcage.
6) The singer also has the word "Sunshine" tattooed on her right foot which is believed to be a tribute to her grandmother.
7) Another tattoo believed to be a tribute to a special family member is the Roman numeral "76" that she has on the back of her neck. Fans have speculated that this could be a tribute to her mother Mandy Teefey, who was born in 1976.
It is worth noting that these aren't the only tattoos Selena Gomez has as she has at least 18 tattoos in all. However, they aren't all listed here as these are the ones that are often the most-discussed.
Gomez has been an active voice of mental health conversations through the years and she has plans for full-time advocacy. While her semi-colon tattoo is a tribute to Hannah's character, it is also representative of the emotional battles she has fought through the years.
