Since childhood, we have had idols, someone to look forward to. Sometimes we are interested in a show, movie, or song, and start to admire who is behind the art, aka the artist. When we grow and become teenagers, the obsession starts. From One Direction and Taylor Swift to Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, everyone has their love and affection for celebrities, and our worlds go crazy when they start dating someone, famous or not.
THE RISE OF “IT COUPLES”
In the early 2000s, we had a lot of what was called “it couples”, like Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, JLo and Ben Affleck, Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson, therefore, the public eye grew on celebrity couples, and the fans started to devote their lives to those two people who were potentially in love. That way, it became almost common sense to know celebrities’ partners and ex-partners, whatever happened with that well-known couple, and of course, everyone has something to add to the conversation, some opinion based on an interview or article, a theory they saw online, a familiar thing that happened with them, among other things.
THE STRONG ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
So, today we see this more than strongly in social media, especially on the old Twitter, now X, when people attack a girlfriend or boyfriend of their idol, criticize a famous person for their sexuality, and think they have the right to invade their personal lives, with the excuse of liking their art and personality.
CASE SCENARIOs
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco are officially dating for a couple of months, and people continue to criticize the founder of Rare Beauty for it. They claim she needs to date someone much better looking than him – a very old thought, right? – and that it doesn’t make sense that she’s with someone who reminds her of her ex, Justin Bieber, whom she dated in 2009 and after going back and forth many times, broke up with in 2018. In this situation, one of the issues that people found was how Benny looks; people always expect their celebrity crush to date someone as better-looking as them, in their opinion, of course.
Another case is the actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson and the director Sam Taylor-Johnson. The couple has been together for more than 10 years and have two children, but the scandal is their age difference: she’s 57 and he’s 33, a 24-year age gap.
He’s more than just an actor; he’s also a sex symbol; people want to date him, they imagine being with him, which makes Sam kind of an obstacle, so they hate on her. More than that, they started dating when he was 18 and she was 42, and people accuse her of grooming, justifying the hate comments and some very sexist comments made about her looks, weight, and skills.
UNDERSTANDING THE PUBLIC’S PERCEPTION
All these examples lead us to think about the reason celebrities’ couples are so controversial and mostly why we care so much about it. The truth is that we see relationships as a part of the entertainment; we think that just because their job requires a public life, everything must be said. Moreover, the media plays a significant role in amplifying this fascination with celebrities’ relationships.
Tabloids and gossip magazines thrive on sensationalizing the love lives of famous people, often portraying them as fairy tales or cautionary tales. This constant bombardment of information feeds into the public’s curiosity and perpetuates the narrative that these relationships are somehow more intriguing or important than those of ordinary people.
WHAT IS UP TO US?
In conclusion, the public’s fascination with the romantic partners of celebrities like Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Selena Gomez is multifaceted and complex. It stems from a combination of aspirational ideals, media sensationalism, projection, and societal norms. While it’s natural to be curious about the personal lives of public figures, it’s essential to approach these matters with empathy and respect for their autonomy. After all, love knows no bounds, not even the boundaries of fame.
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The article above was edited by Duda Kabzas.
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