On March 17, Selena Gomez, an American singer, actress, producer, and businesswoman, officially became the first woman to reach 400 million followers on Instagram. Selena gained 19 million followers in less than a month, overtaking Kylie Jenner with 382 million followers. So how did this happen?

To understand the 19-million-follower boost that got Selena to 400 million followers, we first have to go back to the drama between Haliey and Selena, carried out through their fans. This drama has ensued for over ten years, beginning when Selena broke up with Justin Bieber in 2012. Four years later, Hailey and Justin started dating in 2016 and then married in 2018. Fans of Selena and Hailey have taken sides in this drama war between the two, and just recently, new drama has sparked.

Around February 22nd, Selena posted on TikTok where she joked that she over-laminated her eyebrows; hours later, Hailey posted FaceTime screenshots to her Instagram story of images closely framed around their eyebrows. Fans believed that this is a dig at Selena. The next day, however, Kylie Jenner and Selena Gomez both denied the rumors. On that same day, Selena stated in a TikTok Live, “I’m 30, I’m too old for this.” Drama grew once more and fans found out Hailey posted an Instagram Story using the song “Calm Down”, but the version without Selena, fans suspected it was targeted towards Selena.

Amid the drama, Selena pulled 15 million followers, contributing to her 400-million-follower milestone on Instagram. On March 24th, Selena posted an Instagram Story where she addressed and revealed that Hailey Bieber had told Selena that she was receiving death threats, where Selena stated, “This isn’t what I stand for”, and ”I’ve always advocated for kindness and really want this to all stop”. Hailey and Selena reportedly followed each other back on Instagram, but for now, the drama ensues.

Because of this drama between Selena and Hailey, as well as their fanbases, many showed their support by using #teamselena and #teamhailey on TikTok. Many had found their way to supporting Selena, again causing follower boosts and Selena reaching 400 million followers on Instagram. 

Selena had always spoken about kindness and mental health, using social media to promote several causes, which mostly surround women’s empowerment. She also posts updates about cosmetic line Rare Beauty and her new documentary, My Mind and Me. Her voice and advocacy for women lead to many other women’s support. Selena’s music and acting career further contributed to her popularity as one of the most influential celebrities on the Internet.