Selena Marie Gomez (born in Texas in 1992) has been in the public eye for as long as she can remember. She has been a role model for young girls as a singer and an actress and now is involved in more risqué films such as Spring Breakers, a delirious film by indie filmmaker Harmony Korine. Besides having a strong onscreen persona, Gomez has been in relationships with the likes of Justin Bieber, which of course turned the paparazzi attention and cameras to her. Suddenly, when she was barely a teenager her every move was being followed. Her life was sort of predestined to be great when she was named after the great late Selena Quintanilla. However, she has had to deal with divorce (her parents separated when she was five-years-old) and with weak health, as she was diagnosed with lupus, an auto-immune disease, which ultimately forced her to get a kidney transplant. She found strength in her mom. Gomez has said that her mother “was really strong around me. Having me at 16 had to have been a big responsibility. She gave up everything for me, had three jobs, supported me, sacrificed her life for me.” That must provide so much strength for a woman of barely 26 but who has gone through more in her lifetime than many 50-year-olds.

This must not be easy for anyone, even more so for a Latino woman. Gomez knows that she has a microphone and that she can get to other girls and women. “The older I get, the prouder I am to be a woman in the industry. When I was younger and running around all the time on tour, I don’t think I took the time to notice how being a woman in my position is really a gift. I want to make sure I utilize all that power,” the young Latina star told Into the Gloss. She has used this position of privilege to raise awareness on mental health issues, including suicide prevention, both as a celebrity and as a producer. She is also a supporter of associations such as Make A Wish (which grants children diagnosed with life-threatening conditions), the Alliance for Children’s Rights and the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. 

Selena Gomez fights for friendships above anything else: girl power.

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Gomez values friendship and spreads the word. She has such loyal friends that one even donated a kidney when Gomez needed a transplant. She says: “People are put into your life for seasons, for different reasons, and to teach you lessons”: Selena, we couldn’t agree more.

She gets politically enraged when it matters.

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Gomez knows that a lot of mental health issues concerning young women are related to the policing of their sexuality and reproductive rights. She gets political when she feels the need to, particularly with issues concerning the mental health and general wellbeing of young women like herself. 

She asks her fans to be strong, but to also look for help when needed.

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Her advice: “I’ve learned there’s power deep down inside yourself, and you can find it when you don’t give up on yourself and when you ask for help.” This is so real it hurts: even someone like her, who in the eyes of her fans might seem to have it all, needs to be humble and honest in reaching out to others when the world seems bleak. There is always someone who cares if you are OK. 

She stands up for migrants.

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Gomez doesn’t get political often, but when she does she always stands up for the minority communities. She has been a vocal advocate for migrant rights and the rights of women. She even wore a 1973 necklace as one of very few Latina celebs speaking up for abortion rights.

She even takes a stand from DACA recipients and Dreamers.

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She has used her social media accounts, which have followers in the millions, to call her fans to action. She is clearly showing the world that she does care and she is paying attention. 

She delivers a message of self-acceptance, which led her to produce 13 Reasons Why.

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Gomez’s mother, Amanda, had her when she was just 16, and then raised her by herself. She was also the one that gave Gomez the book on which the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why is based. The show was controversial because it spoke about mental health issues and suicide, topics that are fundamental to discuss with young vulnerable populations but that remain a taboo. However, Gomez’s message is optimistic. She has said: “I promise you that each and every one of you is made to be who you are and that’s what’s so attractive and beautiful.” Preach! 

13 Reasons Why put mental health issues at the forefront of public media debate.

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“I get it all day, every day, that I’m not sexy enough, or I’m not cool enough, or if I did this I would be accepted… I promise you that each and every one of you is made to be who you are and that’s what’s so attractive and beautiful. Please don’t forget that, even when it gets hard,” she said in an interview for the Huffington Post. And this is exactly the message that she conveys in her project. Taking on Jay Asher’s literary world, she and the series creative team were able to show mental health and suicide from all possible angles. 

She takes fame with a grain of salt.

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She has been famous for a big portion of her life, but she knows that todo es pasajero, and that at the end who you are does not depend merely on adulation: “You are not defined by an Instagram photo, by a ‘Like,’ by a comment. That does not define you.”

Body positivity is her mantra.

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“I feel very empowered and confident and comfortable with where I am. And I think it took me a long time to get there because, you know, the past year was so interesting because I’ve never been body-shamed before… I did gain weight, but I don’t care,” she said at On Air with Ryan Seacrest. This is a great, positive message for someone who is followed by millions of young women throughout the world, particularly in a day and age when standards of beauty are twisted and self-love is hard to achieve. 

She is an active advocate of girl power.

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Perhaps following the example of her mother, who basically raised her alone while holding down as many jobs as necessary to make ends meet, Gomez says: “I don’t want to become little or hurt or a victim. I want to be strong for girls…I just want them to know that there is an option of standing up for yourself.” Additionally, she was named a United Nations Ambassador in 2009, and in this role, she has worked particularly in empowering vulnerable children by helping provide clean water, education, and medical services. 

You learn from your mistakes.

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Perhaps most importantly, she knows that many see her as a role model and that this brings a huge deal of responsibility. “I’m human, I’m not perfect. I make mistakes all the time, but I guess my job is to keep those mistakes to myself, which I’m already fine doing and just try to be the best I can be for those kids,” she told E! Online.

READ: “13 Reasons Why” Does Much More Than Glorify Suicide, Selena Gomez Explained

It’s official: the next 007 is everything we could have asked for and more. According to the Daily Mail, 31-year-old actor, Lashana Lynch will play 007 in the new James Bond film. Lynch also makes history as the first Black and female 007. Following years of speculation over who would replace Daniel Craig as the British spy, everyone can take their bets off Richard Madden, Idris Elba, and Tom Hardy. 

However, die-hard Bond fans who are already wondering, “is she the new James Bond?!” You can go ahead and relax (but also, stop being such a traditionalist). Lynch won’t be completely replacing the new Bond but rather portraying a new character who reportedly takes over Daniel Craig’s famous secret agent number when he leaves MI6 in the upcoming Bond movie. 

Movie insiders say the new female Bond isn’t supposed to be James Bond.

According to the Daily Mail, a movie insider said, “There is a pivotal scene at the start of the film where M says ‘Come in 007’ and in walks Lashana who is black, beautiful, and a woman. It’s a popcorn-dropping moment. Bond is still Bond but he’s been replaced as 007 by this stunning woman.”

While the Daily Mail‘s source says Bond is “sexually attracted to the new female 007 and tries his usual seduction tricks,” his usual tricks don’t work. It’s also reported that the term “Bond girls” will be removed from use in the movie and replaced with “Bond women.” 

The insider goes on to say, “This is a Bond for the modern era who will appeal to a younger generation while sticking true to what we all expect in a Bond film. There are spectacular chase sequences and fights, and Bond is still Bond but he’s having to learn to deal with the world of #MeToo.” 

You might also remember Lashana Lynch from her role alongside Brie Larson, in Captain Marvel, where she played Maria Rambeau. 

She’s also known for playing the role of Rosaline Capulet in the ABC drama series Still Star-Crossed. Lynch made her film debut in the 2011 drama film Fast Girls. 

In May, the Fleabag creator who adapted Killing Eve for television, Phoebe Waller-Bridge spoke to Deadline about her work polishing up the script for Bond 25, the Cary Joji Fukunaga-directed film, which is set to release in 2020. 

In her interview with Deadline, she opened up about her contributions to the upcoming film, her feminist approach to her work, as well as the relevancy of the Bond franchise. 

Waller-Bridge is only the second woman in the Bond franchise to be credited on a script.

 The first was Johanna Hardwood who wrote on 1962’s Dr. No and 1963’s From Russia With Love. 

“There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not [the Bond franchise] is relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women,” she tells Deadline. “I think that’s bollocks. I think he’s absolutely relevant now. It has just got to grow. It has just got to evolve, and the important thing is that the film treats the women properly. He doesn’t have to. He needs to be true to this character.”

The Bond 25 film is expected to hit theaters on April 8, 2020. 

Waller-Bridge also said that wanted to make sure the female characters of the Bond film played by actors including Lynch, Léa Seydoux and Ana de Armas, “felt like real people.”

“As an actress, I very rarely had that feeling early in my career. That brings me much pleasure, knowing that I’m giving that to an actress,” she adds.

The 25th film installment will also feature Rami Malek, Billy Magnusse, David Dencik, Dali Benssalah, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, and Rory Kinnear. The film is currently being shot in Italy and the UK. 

Everyone on social media was extremely excited and surprised to see that a Black woman would be stepping into the role of 007.

Especially given the fact that the Bond franchise is heavily male-skewed.

Some fans *really* felt they needed to “clear up the air” about whether Lynch was going to be the next Bond or not. 

Don’t panic! She is but she *isn’t*!

Regardless, we can’t wait to see what kind of #lewks Lashana Lynch will be serving as 007 in the forthcoming Bond film. 

No doubt she’ll be serving up a whole lot of Black excellence with a side of kickass.

We’re ready for a Brie Larson cameo in new Bond film, please. 

Forever yes on this cameo.

Everyone on Twitter is here for all the Black and POC actors finally getting their due. 

It’s 2019 and it’s about damn time.

Sorry, Idris Elba.

We love you but we’re here for Lashana Lynch and we can’t wait to see her on the big screen as 007.