What does "Look At Her Now" by Selena Gomez mean?
“Look At Her Now” Lyrics Meaning
In an interview with KIIS FM, Selena Gomez shared some of her intended purpose behind her recent two singles. “Yeah, I’m gonna share everything I felt [like in ‘Lose You to Love Me’]. But, I’m excited, ‘cause this [Look at Her Now] is where it’s taken me. And how I view those two songs are just: the end [of that part of my life].” She opens up about the pain she felt in “Lose You to Love Me,” which she wrote about a year ago, and ‘Look At Her Now’ acts as a sequel to it and shows how she’s currently doing.
“She knows she’ll find love”
“Look At Her Now” is an autobiographical healing anthem by Selena Gomez. The song is written in third person, which indicates some objectivity through hindsight. As she recalls the painful times that came after her break up with her previous boyfriend, she is thankful for the personal growth that’s taken place in her, and that she finally feels ready to close that difficult chapter of her life.
Verse 1
They fell in love one summer
A little too wild for each other
Shiny 'til it wasn't
Feels good 'til it doesn't
It was her first real lover
His too 'til he had another
Oh, God, when she found out
Trust levels went way down
The romance Selena and her boyfriend shared was fast paced, and though they loved being together, it was difficult to tell if the “wildness” and intensity of one was a good influence on the other. Quickly, the relationship became painful. Though they were both each other’s first lovers, he moved on before her, which felt like a betrayal.
Pre-Chorus
Of course she was sad
But now she's glad she dodged a bullet
Took a few years to soak up the tears
But look at her now, watch her go
Although she was heartbroken at losing a relationship with someone she loved, now “she’s glad she dodged a bullet.” Because he hurt her, she won’t spend her life with him, which she now realizes is better. It “took a few years” for her to heal, but now she’s grown stronger, become wiser, and has moved through the pain. She is healed now in so many ways, and she is celebrating how far she’s come in her journey.
Verse 2
Fast nights that got him
That new life was his problem
Not saying she was perfect
Still regrets that moment
Like that night
Wasn't wrong, wasn't right, yeah
What a thing to be human
Made her more of a woman
Though this verse is more open-ended and vague, likely to give Selena a little privacy with her past, this section appears to look back to when they were together. Though she wishes her ex would take responsibility for himself and what he’s done, she admits that she could have done things better as well. There is one night in particular that she “still regrets”. She feels that whatever she did that night wasn’t good or bad, it just wasn’t what was best. It could be that it relates to some form of either emotional or physical intimacy with her ex boyfriend, or that she said something she didn’t want to. Rather than beat herself up, she looks at the situation objectively and reminds herself that it only means she’s human, and that her struggles as a result of that relationship “made her more of a woman.”
Bridge
She knows she'll find love
Only if she wants it
She knows she'll find love
On the up from the way down
Look at her now, watch her go
Having reached this healed and healthy place, she knows “she’ll find love” with the right person when it’s time. “If she wants it” most likely stands for a person’s choice between finding romantic love, or staying single. She does seem to want to find that romantic love, and reminds herself that as she continues to step into this better emotional place, she will grow closer to finding that love.
Deeper Meaning of “Look At Her Now” by Selena Gomez
“Look at Her Now” invites us to cheer for Selena and rejoice in her healing. Based on what she has said of the song, I don’t believe that she just wants us to celebrate that breakthrough for her. We’re meant to celebrate everyone who has come out the other side of being heartbroken, which is a great thing to do.
