A Selena Gomez look-alike says she gets mistaken for the star all the time — and the photos will make you do a double take

• Erika Montantes has been mistaken for Selena Gomez since she was 15 years old.
• The 23-year-old currently has over 17,000 followers on Instagram.
• She told INSIDER that her resemblance to Gomez has helped her become less shy and make friends all over the world.

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Erika Montantes has been mistaken for Selena Gomez since she was 15 years old, but she says she doesn't mind the comparison.

In fact, Montantes currently has over 17,000 followers on Instagram, due in large part to how much she resembles the famous actress and singer. The 23-year-old freelancer in graphic design, digital marketing, and photography told INSIDER that the first time someone told her she looks a lot like Gomez, she didn't even know "who that was."

It wasn't until Gomez performed in support of Teletón, an annual event in Mexico that raises money for children's rehabilitation centers, that Montantes saw her on TV for the first time.

"I was like, 'Um, OK. We sort of look alike,'" Montantes told us. "Then she started to become more famous here in Mexico, and since then, every person I met always told me, 'You look like Selena Gomez.'"

While Montantes, who grew up and lives in Monterrey, Nuevo León, in Mexico, said she considers herself "a shy person," she said her resemblance to Gomez has helped her make friends all over the world. Montantes said she has chatted with people who live in Brazil, Turkey, the US, and India, as well as in other states in Mexico.

Although she's "flattered" by the constant comparisons, Montantes said she always has to emphasize that she and Gomez are different people.

"Some people are mean to me saying that I want to be her so bad," she said. The freelancer said that while she "sometimes gets inspired" by Gomez's style or makeup, it's no different than how anyone else might take notes from someone who they admire.

"I have a very clear idea of who I am, and even if [Gomez] is my role model, I know I will never be her," Montantes added.

While Montantes has yet to meet Gomez in person, she admires the singer and actress for her positivity and strength, especially given her ongoing battle with lupus.

"Even though she's been through a lot (haters, disease, fake news, and stuff like that), she still keeps a smile on her face and is always polite to everyone," she said.

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