Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and the unwritten rule of the millennial comeback.

Everyone loves a comeback. And what a time to be alive as a millennial, because the nostalgic celebrity comebacks have just been rolling in one after another. 

I'm talking about Demi Lovato reuniting on stage with the Jonas Brothers (my Camp Rock can hardly handle it), Lindsay Lohan returning to the Freaky Friday universe, Selena Gomez having her fairytale wedding to Benny Blanco. It's all happening. 

From Christina Aguilera to Demi Moore, the last few years have seen some of the most exciting celebrity revivals, and I am not complaining. I am obsessed with every single one of these women, many of whom I grew up watching. 

Watch: The Spill talking about Selena Gomez's wedding. Article continues after video.

But as I observed the discourse online — coupled with the fact some of these women never really left the spotlight to begin with — it made me think of what really constitutes a comeback in our minds. 

And I've narrowed it down to two key things: you have to be thin, married, or both. 

It's incredibly sad, but true.

Take Demi Lovato, for instance. She just released her new album, 'It's Not That Deep' and revisited her Camp Rock roots on stage with the Jonas Brothers at their concert. She also married singer and songwriter Jordan "Jutes" Lutes. People are loving it, myself included. She's officially back in the zeitgeist. 

And the comments on her recent tour clips online have been flooded with people saying how good it is to see her back and thriving again. Not to mention, how good she looks.

"She remembered who she is," one user commented on her Instagram. 

"Gotta love our happy and healthy Demi," another wrote. 

Image: Instagram/ddlovato

But the real question is, where did Demi Lovato actually go? The answer is nowhere. She's been here. She might have been singing Skyscraper to an extraterrestrial entity or putting a frozen yoghurt shop in their place, but she's always been culturally relevant and working.  

Yet the collective obsession that has surrounded her in recent months isn't just about relevance. It's about her looking and behaving in a way that fits the narrative of what we deem to constitute happiness: married and conventionally attractive via thinness.

Selena Gomez is another prime example of a figure who has been a constant in the zeitgeist — as a producer, an actor, a singer, and a highly successful entrepreneur with Rare Beauty. 

Her career has been a seamless thread of creative and commercial success. Despite this continuous output, the real marker of her true happiness and evolution has been reduced to her finding love and looking the way we deem as acceptable. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)

Don't get me wrong — I am absolutely a romantic and love the idea of Selena finding her happily ever after with someone who treats her right. I'm a huge fan of her and Benny as a couple. 

In saying that, it's interesting how the public adoration for Selena really only took off again once she got married and lost weight. The cruel discourse surrounding her appearance was heightened when she gained weight between seasons of Only Murders In The Building, so much so her own industry friends — including Taylor Lautner — had to defend her against trolling and online harrassment over her body.

Despite her openness about lupus and the medications that cause natural weight fluctuations, Selena's persistent relevance is only ratified by the public when she appears to regress physically to that universally accepted standard of her sweet Disney era. 

Women's bodies change. Weight fluctuates. It's curious that one specific body type is associated with success or happiness, while another is demonised as messy or tragic. 

Lindsay Lohan coming back for Freakier Friday is a millennial dream, but her resurgence as a cultural icon in 2025 and the public acceptance of her is without a doubt linked to her entering marriage and motherhood (as well as her physical transformation).

Image: Instagram/lindsaylohan

The same goes for Christina Aguilera. In 2024, she shared a video on her TikTok that went viral. Why? Because everyone thought she looked just as she did when she was 20. The comments flooded with people praising her face and figure, and comparing her to her younger self. 

"Looks like Christina Aguilera back in the day!!!" one person commented. 

"Tell a friend to tell a friend… SHE'S BACKKKKK," another wrote. 

The insinuation that this physical transformation equated to some sort of comeback was ludicrous. The woman has literally never stopped working.

@xtina

日本のみんなに会えなくて寂しかった 🇯🇵🤍

♬ BoSS RuN DeM Feat. AKANE & Awich - KOJOE

Not only was she a judge on the voice for years, but just the year before she released 'Learning to Fly' as part of the PAW Patrol: The Might Movie soundtrack and also performed at EuroPride in Malta. She executive produced a stage adaptation of Burlesque, which made its debut in 2024. She even began her second residency, Christina Aguilera at Voltaire in Vegas. Where was this alleged hiatus? 

The concept of a celebrity "comeback" is fascinatingly prescriptive, particularly for women in the spotlight. To be officially declared back, the narrative must often hinge on a highly visible personal transformation — and in Hollywood, that often boils down to being significantly thinner than one's previous public iteration, having cheated "time" with cosmetic work that is perceived to be "good" (a whole other discussion) or having achieved the stability of marriage. 

It creates a strange situation for stars who have, in reality, never left the public eye. 

To truly succeed, these women aren't just asked to return to form; they are required to visibly shrink the woman they became to fit back into the girl the public once loved.

Feature Image: Instagram/ddlovato.