"I never really said I want to be a role model. But then when it happened I was so down for it"
About this Quote
Then she pivots: “But then when it happened I was so down for it.” That second sentence is the tell. It’s not ambition, it’s consent after the fact - a willingness to meet a responsibility she didn’t ask for but recognizes is now attached to her name. The casual slang (“so down”) does cultural work, too: it softens the grandness of “role model,” translating it from a pedestal into something more like a community expectation. She’s not declaring herself exemplary; she’s saying she’ll show up.
The subtext is negotiation. Gomez is aware that celebrity isn’t just talent plus luck; it’s a social contract, one where audiences assign meaning to your choices and punish you for breaking character. In the broader context of her public life - intense scrutiny, health disclosures, mental health advocacy - the quote signals a reframing: not “follow me,” but “I’ll try to be useful with what I’ve got.” It’s a modest claim that still lands as leadership, precisely because it admits reluctance.
Quote Details
| Topic | Leadership |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Gomez, Selena. (2026, January 16). I never really said I want to be a role model. But then when it happened I was so down for it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-never-really-said-i-want-to-be-a-role-model-but-110368/
Chicago Style
Gomez, Selena. "I never really said I want to be a role model. But then when it happened I was so down for it." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-never-really-said-i-want-to-be-a-role-model-but-110368/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I never really said I want to be a role model. But then when it happened I was so down for it." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-never-really-said-i-want-to-be-a-role-model-but-110368/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.








