Everywhere you look there are new celebrity relationship updates. Lately, Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner have been the talk of the internet. The stars have been rumored to be together since January of 2023 at Paris Fashion Week. They made their public debut at Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour stop at SoFi Stadium on September 5, 2023. Since then, they had been seen expressing PDA at the US Open on the 10th. When not obsessing over the Timmy and Kylie of it all, there are a wide variety of other celebrity couples to keep tabs on. Zendaya and Tom Holland are giving everyone relationship goals! The Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas divorce has fans divided, and some of us are still caught up on Taylor Swift and Harry Styles’ break up from 2013!
So the question begs, why are we so taken with celebrity power couples? From my research, the simplest of answers is that we find them aspirational. A source close to Jenner said that her new relationship feels “fun and uncomplicated.” Honestly, what more could you ask for? There are plenty of books that romanticize the celebrity dating experience. Notable mentions include Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman and Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. Both follow the ups and downs of dating someone in the spotlight in slightly different formats. There is a sense of bliss that arises from reading about relationships we will never get to experience. Sometimes we are simply gluttons for drama outside of our own lives. I know I was hung up on the rocky story of Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth like many others! Relatability also plays a large role in our obsessions with celebs. With social media bringing them closer than ever before, us ‘common folk’ feel like these global superstars are our friends. Personally, I live for the mere glimpses into Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ relationship on Instagram! Psychotherapist and founder of the Talented Ladies Club, Hannah Martin, believes that there is a deeper reasoning behind our following habits:
“If you look at the kind of celebrity people generally worship or look up to, they tend to be people who are like them – but more successful,”
Hannah Martin
We secretly long to be as successful as these people and have what they have, yet we watch from a safe distance and live in a dreamscape vicariously through our favorite couples. What could be better than that? There is, however, an air of caution to carry. Firstly, not everything you see online or in a magazine is true. That may seem obvious, but it is easier than you’d think to get caught up in the glamor of it all. Secondly, just like us, celebrities are real people too! We may put them on a pedestal, but these are very real people with very real emotions. Otherwise, as long as we do so respectfully and kindly, I see nothing wrong with keeping up with our favorite celebrity couples. After all, it’s all in good fun!