Teen girls and Hollywood gossip sites alike lost it this weekend when Justin Bieber took to Instagram and posted an old photo of him and ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez kissing. “Feels,” he captioned the photo, which has now amassed more than 3 million likes.
“So beautiful,” one user commented.
“Love them,” wrote another.
“JELENA <33," yet another swooned.
But Bieber’s fans are mistaken when they read his behavior as flirtatious or romantic. The truth is Bieber’s post is more so harassment.
It’s obvious Bieber hasn’t handled his breakup with Gomez well. Though the two first split almost three years ago, he’s continued to pine after his pop-singer ex.
In fact, this isn’t even the first time Bieber’s posted a photo of Gomez on social media with seemingly questionable intentions. When Gomez arrived at Vanity Fair‘s Oscars party solo in 2014, he shared a picture of her on the red carpet on Instagram, captioning the photo, “Most elegant princess in the world.”
More recently, Bieber admitted that a lot of the songs off his 2015 album Purpose are about or inspired by his relationship with Gomez. In an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in November, Bieber said he could see the two getting back together.
It’s easy to dismiss or even romanticize his constant attempts to reconcile, but a critical look reveals him to be obsessive and selfish in his pursuit. The fact of the matter is he’s completely ignorant and dismissive of the fact that Gomez doesn’t seem at all interested in rekindling their romantic relationship.
Back when the two initially split, she joked about making Bieber cry in an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. This past December, a fan asked Gomez on Instagram whether she should buy One Direction’s album Made in the A.M. or Bieber’s Purpose. “MADE IN THE AM,” Gomez responded in all caps, a move that seemed to confirm her disdain for her ex.
And Gomez has made it abundantly clear she would rather not discuss the relationship publicly. She refused to elaborate on an Instagram video that surfaced in November showing Bieber serenading her at a hotel in Beverly Hills, despite being pressed by a reporter from Rolling Stone.
“Well, I am sorry, first of all,” she said. “And honestly, what I would love to be printed is that I am so beyond done with talking about that, and him.”
It isn’t clear what Gomez meant when she eventually commented on Bieber’s throwback Instagram photo: “Perfect.”
It is clear, though, that Bieber is either oblivious or uncaring about Gomez’s wishes, and fans shouldn’t ignore or excuse his lovesick charade any longer.
