Bakery Sparks Debate with #TeamSelena Cookie

CaseBakes, a bakery in Webster, near Houston, posted a viral mean girl energy-themed cookie following the Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez drama that unfolded on social media last week between their fan bases.

The post pictured a decorated cookie that said, “In a World Full Of Hailey’s Be A Selena,” with the caption, “We don’t do the mean girl energy around here #teamselena.” The post has reached 11 million people, with over 175,000 reactions, 290 comments and 38,000 shares on Facebook.

For a bit of backstory, the drama comes after Hailey Beiber, Justin Beiber's wife, potentially threw shade at Gomez, Justin's ex-girlfriend, on social media. Then a Jenner got involved and our eyes rolled into the back of our heads and we blessedly blurred out for five seconds. Alas, people picked sides much like the Cardi B and Nicki Minaj Fashion Week fiasco back in 2018. This particular spat was whittled down to "mean girl energy." 

CaseBakes specializes in gourmet cookies, cakes and custom-decorated sugar cookies. Owned by Food Network's Christmas Cookie Challenge finalist, Casey Cardona, the company holds a strong presence in the Webster community, where the owner was born and raised.

Hive Bakery in Flower Mound has been known to stake a stance and subsequently caused a ruckus with iced words as well. In May 2022 baker Haley Popp wrote "My Body My Choice" on the top of a cake, which didn't go over well with her conservative neighbors. But people from across North Texas showed up in support, and the customer line stretched out the door to the parking lot.

Inspiration for the decorated cookie came to the owner after a long week, when she decided to decorate an extra cookie. After searching "Selena and Hailey Drama clipart,” on Etsy, the owner purchased a template and whipped it up.

Cardona says CaseBakes stays updated on pop culture and current events, always looking for ways to tie those events into the design of the cookies for engagement. The bakery's Valentine's Day options were heavily influenced by the Netflix series Wednesday. After seeing the Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber drama unfold on Tiktok, Cardona decided to design the cookie, not knowing how controversial and popular the post would become.

“I actually was surprised how the quote was viewed in so many different ways,” Cardona said. “It was eye-opening for sure! When I saw the quote I did not view it in the same light as some of the other people, and that was a reminder that we can all see something in a different way or light. The post to be deemed as mean was the complete opposite effect of what we had intended.”

Cardona says after she turned off comments for the posts, users turned to Google and Yelp to voice their opinions, and some have directly messaged the local bakery with threats and vulgarities. Comments on the posts split the support of Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber; some called out the post for being mean, and others urged people not to take the post seriously.

The response was a surprise for Cardona. However, sales did increase, as did the bakery's followers. Just as the company received negative responses, it also received quite a few messages of encouragement.