Girl has found fame in countries all over the world for looking almost identical to Selena Gomez
It's largely believed that there is someone in the world who looks exactly the same as you. While for the majority of us that tends to be another average Joe, for some regular folk, they look just like a celebrity. There are people out there who get paid astronomical amounts for looking like Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga and a host of other celebrities. And now, we have a girl that looks exactly like Selena Gomez.
Erika Montantes, 23, looks unbelievably like Selena Gomez. Montantes, a freelance photographer, first starting getting compared to the star when she was just 15-years-old, although she admits that she had no idea who Selena was at the time.
Now, however, Erika has channelled Selena's looks through her own, rocking a similar haircut as well as sporting outfits inspired by the singer. According to Erika, the likeliness of the two women has led to her gaining fame around the world.
“I always get surprised when people from other countries tell me that they wish to know me, talk to their friends about me or the idea that I’m famous in their countries,” Erika said;
"It’s funny because some of them look surprised when they ask me if I’m Selena and I say no; they either just walk away or take pictures with me.
"Although, sometimes I look at her outfits or her hairstyle and I get inspired by her to style myself, because I think ‘if Selena looks good using that, maybe I’ll look good too’."
While Erika has embraced the similarity, it wasn't always this way. After being compared to Selena in high school, Erika had to go and look the star up as she had no idea who she was;
"People have been telling me I look like her since I was fifteen, so I started to follow her at that age and she has since became my role model.
"When I was in high school, a friend told me ‘hey! You look like Selena Gomez’ and I was like ‘who?’ and he kept saying it, so I searched her, and I was like ‘umm okay we do look a little bit alike’.
"She soon became more famous and more people started to tell me that we look alike; even when I went to San Diego, California, people kept staring at me and some of them asked me if I was her – that was crazy."
Much like Selena, Erika takes pride in her appearance, with her spending hours on refining her looks. Because of this, Erika admits to feeling "flattered" by the comparison.
"I feel flattered, I think she’s so beautiful and an incredible human being. I love her, I think she’s so strong, beautiful, brave, she’s a good role model. Even if she has been through a lot (with her disease) she tries to keep a smile on her face," she said;
"I usually take one hour to do my makeup – I know that’s a lot of time but I love doing my makeup. I also watch people on Instagram and get inspired by their looks.
"Sometimes I try to recreate makeup styles or outfits, I also try to have a good skincare routine and do some exercise to keep myself healthy."
It's not just looks that the two young women have in common, as Erika reveals;
"Selena loves pickles and so do I, also in some interviews she says she loves all kinds of food and so do I.
"Sometimes I think it’s cool to look like someone famous but at times I just want people to know me for me and not for who I look.
"Some ‘haters’ think I want to be Selena or that I try to look like her, which it’s wrong. I don’t try to look like her or act like her because I know that she is Selena and I’m Erika – different people, you know?"
In terms of what she's taken away from this experience, Erika has an emphatic in her message;
"I’d like to say that no matter how rude people are, just ignore them and keep going – the most important thing is to be yourself and love yourself no matter what."
Fair play to Erika, she can't help that she looks exactly like Selena Gomez and it's not the worst person to be compared to. Quite how anyone can hate on her for doing so, I'm not too sure.