Selena Gomez has said being the most-followed woman on Instagram is “a big responsibility”.
The actress and singer explained that, while she's “never really cared” about numbers, “it can be a little heavy”, as reported in The Hollywood Reporter, while she was attending Universal Music Group and Thrive Global’s Music and Health Conference.
Gomez has used her platform to raise awareness about various causes, such as recently promoting a documentary about her health and mental wellbeing after being diagnosed with lupus.
“I feel for people, and I think that’s what kind of keeps me in check, to be honest,” Gomez said. “I think I can be a little reckless with my emotions and having conversations with young people, women who are going through divorces or going through chemo — it’s not just about me, and I’m fully aware of that.
“I will just always cherish it. It’s a big responsibility, though. It’s a little scary.”
10 most liked women on Instagram
Of course, Gomez is not the only woman with a large following on the platform. Here’s a look at nine other women with enormous audiences, beaten only by Selena Gomez at the top spot.
10) Kourtney Kardashian (224m followers)
The Kardashian-Jenner family, unsurprisingly, dominates this list, starting off with Kourtney Kardashian with 224m followers.
The oldest Kardashian sister’s account is filled with selfies, advertisements, promoting her vitamin and supplements brand Lemme, and curated glimpses into her private life.
9) Jennifer Lopez (251m followers)
Next up is actor and musician Jennifer Lopez. J-Lo shares her fair share of behind-the-scenes photos, music promotion, and videos.
She also makes the most of Story Highlights to showcase events and causes she’s involved with.
This comes just over a year after she famously wiped her Instagram account, replacing all previous content with a simple black square, ahead of announcing her latest album.
8) Taylor Swift (272m followers)
Taylor Swift heads up one of the most dedicated fandoms in the world and frequently uses her social media to drop hints about upcoming albums, tours, and so on.
Aside from her cryptic posts, Swift also recently posted encouraging her American followers to register to vote, using her hefty platform to inspire political interest among her audience.
7) Kendall Jenner (294m followers)
The next member of the Kardashian-Jenner family, Kendall Jenner, posts less than most of her sisters.
Her account mostly features the promotion of her photoshoots and fashion work, as well as selfies and snapshots of her personal life, like spending time with animals and vacationing with friends.
6) Khloé Kardashian (312m followers)
Another member of the Kardashian-Jenner family: Khloe Kardashian.
She posts seemingly self-written posts about her friends and family, alongside neat trios of images that promote her clothing brand.
5) Beyoncé (317m followers)
Next up is Queen Bey herself, predominantly sharing tour snaps and music promotion.
The photos are largely curated, professional shots without too many personal photos or casual images to be found.
4) Kim Kardashian (364m followers)
With 364 million followers, Kim Kardashian is the second-to-last Kardashian-Jenner on the list. Despite being arguably the most famous sister, she’s not the one with the highest amount of followers.
Her account is similar to those of her family members, sharing a blend of photoshoot content and more personal snaps. She also makes use of her Stories Highlights to promote her two major brands, SKIMS and SKKN.
3) Ariana Grande (379m followers)
Another musician to make the list, Ariana Grande has 379 million followers.
Her feed is full of curated photos and videos pictures of her performing, behind the scenes, and other A-list activities, with most personal content reserved for her Stories.
In April this year, Grande cautioned against body shaming on social media platforms, stating that people were comparing her current body to when she was unhealthy, taking antidepressants, drinking, and eating poorly.
She emphasised that “healthy” is different for different people and that fans should know that they never know what someone is going through.
2) Kylie Jenner (399m followers)
The final member of social media’s royal family, Kylie Jenner once held the top spot for most-liked Instagram post — and she’s still in the top 20.
Her account is focused largely on her business pursuits, with plenty of product shots from her make-up brand, Kylie Cosmetics.
In the latest season of the family’s reality show, The Kardashians, Kylie commented on the pressure she felt from a young age to look a certain way, including comments from her own family, online, and in person from members of the paparazzi.
1) Selena Gomez (429m followers)
In comparison to the largely picture-perfect feeds from other people on this list, Selena Gomez’s most recent post at the time of writing is the stripped-back selfie that you see above.
While there are the standard glitzy shots dotted throughout her profile, there are frequent instances of these raw images that evoke a sense of authenticity from her feed.
