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Selena Gomez, 30, stole the show on the opening night of the 2022 American Film Institute (AFI) Festival! On Wednesday, Nov. 2, the Selena + Chef star and mental health advocate walked down the red carpet in a bright magenta silk gown that featured an off-shoulder sleeve and side-bow. The starlet also rocked a pair of bedazzled pointed-toe pumps, as she carried a chic silver clutch. In addition, she completed the look by having her brunette tresses in an elegant updo and sported a pair of long dazzling earrings.
Selena’s mental health Apple TV+ documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me, which starts streaming on Nov. 4, is opening the 36th edition of the AFI festival this year. The “Dance Again” hitmaker’s documentary follows the last six years of her life, primarily focusing on her mental health journey. “Just be who you are, Selena. No one cares about what you’re doing,” Selena somberly told herself in an emotional voiceover at the beginning of her doc’s trailer, which was released in October and can be seen below. “It’s about who I am. Being OK with where I am. I am grateful to be alive.”
Selena also admitted she sometimes wishes she weren’t so famous, but since she is, plans to use that for good. “My whole life since I was a kid, I’ve been working,” she explained over a clip of her in Barney & Friends, on which she acted between 2002 and 2004. “And I don’t want to be, like, super famous, but I do know that if I’m here, I have to use that for good.”
Selena used her platform to launch a makeup brand Rare Beauty, and a mental health fund called the Rare Impact Fund, which has a goal to raise $100 million by 2030 to expand mental health services to those who need them most .“Since the brand’s inception, we wanted to find a way to give back to our community and further support people who needed access to mental health services, which have had a profound impact on my life,” she said in a press release in 2020. “Rare Beauty is focused on helping people feel more connected to one another and less alone in the world. The Rare Impact Fund will make a direct impact on many lives and, ultimately, make a difference in the world. I’m proud of the work we’ve begun to do with our partners to offer these services to anyone who needs support.”
The Rare Impact Fund currently has more than a dozen partner programs and organizations to help spread mental health awareness and give people the support they need. Rare Beauty also donates 1% of all sales to the Rare Impact Fund.
Selena has been open about her struggles with mental health for years, and even announced in 2019 following her Revival World Tour that she was taking a break to work on herself. “As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways,” the former Disney star told PEOPLE in December of that year. “I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks, and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges.”
“I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off,” she continued. “Thank you to all my fans for your support. You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues.”
