As anyone who follows social media accounts like Pop Crave and Pop Base knows, Selena Gomez is constantly looking “gorgeous,” “stunning,” or “immaculate” in newly shared photos. But something about a photo she shared over the weekend couldn’t be so easily summed up by an adjective plucked from the thesuarus.com entry for “beautiful.” Wrapped up warmly in a blanket, starring off into the distance with her orange sequined Fendi Baguette bag perched on a coffee table, Gomez certainly looked beautiful, but she also looked so much more.
The social media network formerly known as Twitter latched onto the photo, crafting a narrative of someone who may have gone through some trials, but has come out on the other side supremely content and optimistic into the future. A woman, warm and open to the wonders of life. A picture used to be worth a thousand words, but this one seems to have been worth a couple thousand retweets.
Some compared the photo to the final scene in a particularly harrowing movie or mini-series.
“[H]orror movie characters sitting in the back of an ambulance after almost dying,” wrote one user. “Everyone on the beach at the end of Big Little Lies,” added another. “[R]ose after letting Jack die after the Titanic sunk,” offered yet another.
Several also spotted the resemblance to one of the final moments from Knives Out:
Yet others saw something even deeper, perhaps aspirational in a way:
Others still shared their own rather unique takes:
Gomez certainly has over come a lot in her 31 years—but she is currently thriving. Her Rare Beauty makeup brand is an undeniable cosmetics counter hit, the third season of her Hulu series Only Murders in the Building was greeted warmly by audiences and critics alike, and over the weekend she was spotted hanging out with one of her oldest friends, the actress Francia Raisa.
It seemed to be a big weekend for Twitter users finding deeper meaning in celebrity Instagram photos. An Instagram update from Licorice Pizza actor Skyler Gisondo also took off in a similar manner.
