Selena Gomez rejects rebellious lifestyle, so far

Selena Gomez tells Teen Vogue she's always going to be a 'good girl,' but the lyrics to her recent hit 'Come and get it' and the lurid photo spread inside the magazine tell a different story. Which is the real Selena Gomez?

With so many child stars going off the deep end these days (ahem, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Lindsay Lohan, etc.), it makes you wonder, who’s next?! And how are we going to explain all of this poor decision making to our daughters, whose behavior always seems linked to the stars' to some degree?

Thankfully, it looks like the next train wreck won’t be Selena Gomez. According to the December 2013/January 2014 issue of Teen Vogue, she said, I’m the girl you “take home to your parents, not for the night.”  How refreshing – finally, a Disney heiress who purposefully orients herself towards a more worthwhile track. “But how long will Selena Gomez's squeaky-clean image last?” the cynic in me asks.

Selena became famous by first appearing in Barney and Friends (1999), and then Disney channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place (2007). Her fame really got kicked up a notch when she dated Justin Bieber from 2010 to 2012. Their on-again, off-again relationship echoes the ups and downs of many high school and college relationships, making them a relatable pair.

But, but, but . . . what about all her sexy photo shoots and suggestive lyrics? Ninety-five percent of her recent No. 1 Billboard hit “Come and Get it” is this line: “When you’re ready come and get it” (implicitly referring to sex). A photo spread on the Teen Vogue website has her wearing tiny cutoff jean shorts and a plunging neckline. What are we supposed to believe? Is she really as wholesome a role model as her quotes make her out to be, or do the pictures and lyrics speak for themselves? Is she just being manipulated into another marketing machine, just like her Disney peers?

Is it all a marketing ploy? Who is Selena Gomez, really? It’s hard (impossible?) to tell. Her image is too well-crafted to really know who she is, exactly.

One thing’s certain – people (especially teenage girls) are paying attention to Selena. She’s often at the top of Google and Yahoo searches, and she’s currently on a world concert tour. Whatever she does next, we’ll be watching – and hoping, perhaps against all hope – that she’ll continue being the sweet, conscientious girl she seems to be so far.