Honestly, people are still buzzing about it. When the first shots from the Selena Gomez recent photoshoot for Interview Magazine hit the timeline, the collective gasp was practically audible. We're talking about the February 2025 spread that basically melted the internet. It wasn't just another celebrity cover. It was raw, it was kinda messy, and it featured her now-husband, Benny Blanco, in a way that had fans—and haters—doing a double-take.
You've probably seen the grainy, black-and-white images. They don't look like the polished, airbrushed stuff we usually get from A-listers. That's the point. Selena has been vocal for years about how much she hates "pointless pictures." She’s over the perfection. She wants storytelling. And boy, did this shoot tell a story.
The Shoot That Broke the Formula
Let’s get into the weeds of why this specific session mattered. Photographed by Brianna Capozzi, the vibe was high-fashion meets suburban basement. In one of the most talked-about frames, Selena is wearing a black sweater and sheer stockings, looking effortlessly cool but surprisingly vulnerable. Then there’s the one that launched a thousand memes: Selena and Benny, both topless, with her hand covering her chest and a finger in his mouth.
It was bold. It was "stuck with me" energy.
Critics called it "cringe," but fans saw it as a middle finger to the polished Instagram aesthetic she’s spent years trying to escape. If you look at her history with brands like Coach back in 2018, people were furious because they thought her face was photoshopped into oblivion. This 2025 shoot was the exact opposite. It was skin texture, real shadows, and a lot of personality.
What Most People Get Wrong About Selena's Imagery
There's this weird misconception that Selena just shows up, sits in a chair, and lets a team do the work. Actually, she’s become increasingly hands-on, especially since launching Rare Beauty. She treats these shoots like extensions of her brand's mission: "accepting yourself fully."
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Take her Allure Best of Beauty 2025 cover. Photographed by Adrienne Raquel and styled by Anna Trevelyan, she wore conceptual pieces from Alaïa and Marc Jacobs. People on Reddit were arguing about whether the looks were "ugly" or "high fashion." But here's the kicker—Selena didn't care. She was leaning into a "modern-day elfish" vibe, as some commenters put it. She’s using her body as a canvas now, rather than just trying to look "pretty" in a traditional sense.
The Shift to "Soft Goth" and Old Hollywood
Fast forward to January 2026, and we're seeing the evolution of those photoshoot themes on the red carpet. At the 2026 Golden Globes, Selena showed up in a custom Chanel gown that took—get this—323 hours to make. It had 200 embroidered elements, including white flowers made of feathers and silk organza.
Why does this matter for her photoshoots? Because it signals a new era. The "soft goth" aesthetic. It’s a mix of deep burgundy lips, chin-grazing bobs (her shortest haircut ever!), and structured velvet.
- The Hair: A sharp, chin-length bob with finger waves.
- The Makeup: Luminous skin paired with a "blood-red" matte lip.
- The Mood: Introspective, Mabel-esque (her character from Only Murders in the Building), and unapologetically mature.
Rare Beauty and the Business of the Image
We can't talk about a Selena Gomez recent photoshoot without mentioning that she’s currently overseeing a massive expansion for Rare Beauty. As of January 2026, the brand has officially moved into Ulta Beauty. This isn't just a business move; it’s a content machine. Every promotional shoot for this launch has been about "minimal retouching."
She’s basically told the industry that if they want to work with her, they have to play by her rules. No more "disfigured walls" from bad liquify tools—a notorious fail her makeup artist Hung Vanngo once got heat for years ago. Now, the focus is on "Kind Words" and "Positive Light."
Why the Mall Photoshoot Actually Won
Maybe the most "Selena" thing she's done lately wasn't for a magazine at all. In April 2025, she and Benny did a "cheesy mall photoshoot." You know the ones—the Olan Mills-style portraits with the velvet backdrops and the wooden pedestals.
Benny surprised her with a prom-themed night because she’d never been to her own high school dance. They wore sweatsuits in a limo to hide their outfits, then walked into a local mall photo studio. She wore a purple high-low gown with a furry coat. It was ridiculous. It was "mid-2000s awkward." And honestly? It was the most authentic she’s looked in years.
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It proves that for Selena, the best photoshoots aren't always the ones with the $10,000 Chanel budget. They're the ones where she actually looks like she's having fun.
How to Get the Look (The Rare Beauty Way)
If you're trying to replicate the "Soft Goth" or "Allure Editorial" vibes she’s been sporting, you don't need a professional lighting crew. Based on her recent kits at Ulta, here is the basic breakdown of her current "go-to" face:
- The Base: Use the Positive Light Under-Eye Brightener. It’s meant to look like skin, not spackle.
- The Flush: Soft Pinch Matte Bouncy Blush in the shade "Grateful." It’s a bright true red that looks scary in the pot but sheer on the skin.
- The Lip: This is the most important part of her 2026 "Golden Globes" look. You want a deep, blackened plum or burgundy. Line the lips slightly outside the natural border for that "snatched" look she likes.
- The Glow: Use the Silky Touch Highlighter only on the very high points of the cheek—avoid the center of the face to keep that "gothic" matte-meets-dewy contrast.
The Reality Check
It’s easy to look at these high-fashion spreads and feel like she’s living in a different world. And she is. But Selena has been pretty open about the fact that she gets "depressed" looking at beautiful people on social media too. She takes breaks. She deletes the apps.
The complexity of her recent photoshoots—from the risqué Interview shots to the high-glam Chanel moments—is all about reclaiming her narrative. She’s no longer the Disney kid or the "Instagram Queen" who has to please everyone. She’s a 33-year-old mogul who happens to be married and is totally fine with looking a little "weird" if it means she’s being real.
Moving Forward
If you're following Selena's style evolution, expect more of this "Old Hollywood with a twist" vibe throughout 2026. With Only Murders in the Building renewed for Season 6, her "Mabel Mora" aesthetic is likely to keep influencing her real-life fashion choices.
The next step for any fan or fashion enthusiast isn't just to copy her outfits. It's to adopt that same "intentionality" she talks about. Next time you're taking a photo, stop worrying about the perfect filter. Maybe try the "messy" shot instead. That’s the real takeaway from the Selena Gomez recent photoshoot era.
Keep an eye on her upcoming Rare Beauty "Giving Initiative" in February at Ulta. It’s the first time a major retailer is splitting donations 50/50 with a celebrity's fund, proving that her "images" are always serving a much larger purpose than just looking good on a shelf.