Getty Images; AKM-GSIBreakups: Whether you're the dumper or the dumpee, they're always pretty terrible. Granted, one person comes out feeling slightly better than the other given the position, but they're still pretty awful. For celebrities it's probably even worse, given that their heartbreaks are played out all over the media. But the way each star handles it also gets seen by the public, and let's just say Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez handled their split very differently.
The Biebs and Selena dated on and off since 2011, but let's be honest, it feels like these two have been on-again, off-again forever. Finally calling it quits in 2014, both Justin and Selena since have moved on, but in very different ways. Recently, Selena has expressed her disdain for talking about her ex-boyfriend, despite the fact they still seemingly hang out together. Justin, on the other hand, is more than willing to open up about his former love.
We can't say whether one method is preferable to the other, but regardless of what these two say or don't say, it'll still be something to hold on to (because who doesn't keep track of everything these two do?). Even when they don't say anything, they're still saying something.
In interviews with Rolling Stone and InStyle UK, Selena made it clear that she wouldn't be talking about the 21-year-old pop star. She made it so clear, in fact, that they even quoted her saying she didn't want to broach the subject instead of just saying she declined to answer.
"Well, I am sorry, first of all," she prefaced her answer to Rolling Stone. "And honestly, what I would love to be printed is that I am so beyond done with talking about that, and him."
You'd almost think there was bad blood between them, but as it turns out, there isn't. Her answer came as a result of a question about the footage that surfaced not too long ago of Justin serenading her to "My Girl." Clearly, they were on good terms.
"I'm just tired of talking about it. I never intended for my life to become a tabloid story," she told InStyle UK after the magazine inquired about her status with Justin.
But Justin, who released Purpose in November to critical acclaim, would rather speak using photos instead of words—except, of course, when it's in lyric form on his new album. Justin instead chooses to randomly post throwback photos from his relationship with Selena. Only he knows the reasoning for his #TBTs, but color us surprised in early December when he shared a photo of them riding an ATV together. He didn't include a caption, so Beliebers freaked out, which led him to add, "Just a throwback calm down."
Just a week after that Justin posted another photo from their relationship days, but in this case the timing was a tad suspect. His "crazy throwback" was shared one day after Selena was spotted on a date with One Direction's Niall Horan, so was Justin trying to remind her of what they once had, or was he showing her that he was jealous? Either way, you don't see Selena posting random photos.
As they saying goes, "Different strokes for different folks."
No matter what these two go through/are going through, never forget that these two broke each other's hearts at one point. Justin opened up about his crushed feelings in an interview with an Australian radio show.
"I love to be in love, and I love cuddling," Justin revealed. "I love all that stuff, but I got my heartbroken, so I'm just trying to let that heal up."
But before letting his heart "heal," the "What Do You Mean?" singer found himself in a heap of trouble with law when he seemed to head in a downward spiral, getting arrested for DUI and facing consequences for egging a neighbor's house.
While Selena didn't get into any legal snafus, she did, in a rare occasion, make mention of hurt feelings. "I think people really wanted to see me fail," Gomez told Refinery 29 in October. "I'd sit down in an interview and get the most harshly asked questions. Of course I got my heart broken. Of course I was pissed about it. There, everybody has it. I was so disappointed..."
Even though Selena since has been connected to Niall and Zedd, she never put the rumored romances on display on her social media. But Justin does. Over Christmas and well through New Year's, Justin has been posting tons of photos of his vacation with Hailey Baldwin and his family. The pictures started out platonically, but quickly went from 0 to 60 when he shared a picture of them kissing on the lips.
And to think only a few weeks before that he was posting pictures of Selena! Is Justin trying to make her jealous again, or is he proving to her that he has really moved on?
"Hailey and Justin have a very tight relationship. They both are very close with each other's families and care very deeply about each other," a source told E! News. "Hailey's family has been there and supported Justin through his transition, so Justin has a strong respect for them."
"He loves Hailey as a friend and considers her one of his best friends," the source added. "They both also have a strong attraction towards each other and this trip they have been having fun with their families, but also had some alone time. Hailey and Justin like to party and let loose and this romantic connection has always been there."
Perhaps they just needed a getaway to St. Barts and Anguilla to let the love come forward, but our source added that they "don't have a label, but are very connected."
Justin and Selena could be over for good now that Hailstin (just created that nickname) might be a thing, but we're sure there will be more to come from Jelena.