Selena Gomez is asked to “rate” her beauty —here are 5 things we’d rather know about her
Selena Gomez — former Disney star, actress, singer, and all-around rad lady — recently went on the TJ Show to talk about her birthday, friendship, and fandom. The conversation was going well until Gomez was asked a not-so-cool question. The radio host asked the 22-year-old to “rate” herself on a 1-10 scale (a scale that is super demeaning and cruel to begin with, anyway) —and Gomez’s answer makes us sad.
“I would say, like, [on] a premiere day, I would be a good nine. And then on my every day I feel like a 6. Gosh that sounds so bad. I feel like a 6 or a 7,” the singer said.
I mean, OK. This question is problematic for a million different reasons, the main one being: it’s not OK to ask a human person what number they would use to rate their attractiveness. Asking a female (or male!) celebrity to rate him/herself on a 1-10 scale is reductive, and gross, and Gomez deserves better than that.
And the reactions from various media are equally disappointing. Entertainment Weekly called Gomez’s response “humble,” while Daily Mail wrote the singer is “truly unaware about the way she is perceived by the public.”
Obviously, looks shouldn’t be a discussion point, but this FAR FROM the first time a female celebrity has been probed about her personal life instead of her career. There’s a long, sad history of women being asked inappropriate questions about their love lives, their outfits, their hair, their diets —instead of being asked about the show they’re starring in, or the company they helmed, or the projects in which they’re involved.
Even though we can’t change what’s already happened, and we can’t erase the question thrown at Gomez, we can try to make things better. And point out that humans deserve better, more meaningful questions than “How would you rate yourself on a 1-10 scale?” So, instead of talking about Selena Gomez’s looks, here are just a few topics we would much rather hear about:
1. Gomez’ new album —how does it differ from 2013’s Stars Dance?
2. What’s her next big project?
3. As a musician, who inspires her?
4. What’s her dream role?
5. How does she feel about being such a positive role model to so many people?
Yeah, that’s much better.
(Image via Instagram)
