(V Magazine)
Selena Gomez poses topless for V magazine, and gets candid about her life in an accompanying interview with James Franco. Check out the photos below, which Gomez herself made available on her Instagram page.
The retro-looking cover features Gomez standing sideways with thick curly hair, crossing her arms over her bare chest as she stares into the camera only wearing short-shorts. There’s a similar alternate shot, with Gomez facing forward and staring off into the distance, again with her arms positioned to cover her breasts. In a third photo, Gomez is slightly more clothed, and made up to look like what can only be described as a cross between a cowgirl and Little Bo Peep.
Gomez and Franco became close after working together on 2012’s Spring Breakers, and their intimate chat addresses her love life and mental health. Though Justin Bieber isn’t mentioned by name, he is certainly implied, based on the details Gomez gives about one of her relationships as she reflects on dating in the public eye. She tells Franco, “I think the next time will be much different… which will definitely not be any time soon. That’s a growing up kind of thing. I was 18 years old, and it was my first love,” she says.
The singer-actress continues, “The older I get, I’m guarding certain things more. After being put through the scrutiny, I understand what it is. When you’re young and you’re being told so many different things… it almost felt like all we had was each other, like the world was against us, in a way.” Gomez further states, “It was really weird but it was incredible. I would never take it back in a million years. You live and you learn, you know?”
Last year, Gomez spent some time in a rehab facility to focus on her well-being, and she now confesses that “there were a few months where I was a little depressed, where I wouldn’t leave [the house] as much.” The star ties her “anxiety” to the everyday scrutiny of being a celebrity, and being in a high-profile relationship. “I think I drove myself crazy for a little bit. It was just easier to say, ‘Hey, do you mind running to the grocery store and picking some stuff up, I don’t want to get photographed,” admits Gomez.
Gomez says she’s spent the time since then “getting a little bit more comfortable” being in the spotlight again, and is optimistic that 2015 will be a great year, in part because of what she’s already experienced. She explains to Franco, “I think this year is going to be incredible. I feel the best I’ve ever felt in my life. I’m super stoked that I’ve got some bumps on me, some scars, some bruises. I actually really love that. And I don’t mean that in a morbid way.”
Going through her teen years in Hollywood, “there was so much going on,” notes Gomez. “You can’t help but have some troubles here and there. I don’t think it’s a smooth process for anyone, and it definitely wasn’t for me.” Now she’s approaching things with a new mindset. “I don’t read anything about me anymore at all. I don’t spend my time tiptoeing around certain things, because the things I’m going to do aren’t bad,” she says.
Gomez adds, “I’ll be 23 soon and I could go to a bar or go to the movies. I could do what I like.” The full interview in V’s Spring 2015 issue will be available on February 26. Check out the photos below, which Gomez made embeddable on Instagram, and tell us what you think.
(V Magazine)
(V Magazine/Instagram)
