Unravelling the allure of celebrity relationships

People have been obsessed with celebrity couples for as long as I can remember, but with the help of social media, I see this more intensely than ever before. These aren’t mere crushes anymore: they’re full-blown obsessions. The latest ‘it’ couple is Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Their unexpected pairing has fans going wild. Celebrities’ romantic lives have become so ingrained in people’s regular lives that they often serve as an easy icebreaker in conversations. So, even if you’re not an avid social media user, or simply indifferent to pop culture, you will always involuntarily know who Taylor Swift is dating.

Everyone loves love indeed, with Zendaya and Tom Holland’s relationship springing to mind immediately, but everyone loves hate, tension, and drama just as much

This obsession with celebrities is not a new phenomenon or strictly a Gen-Z thing, though – dare I say our parents were just as obsessed with the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt (and then Brangelina, of course). However, I’d say the most prominent difference is that now, commentary is everywhere. Nowadays, you can gain virality by posting funny or cool comments on TikTok, especially when that comment is a controversial opinion about a celebrity couple’s relationship dynamic! Where there’s little traction (regarding social commentary), the less intrigue there is.

Why is the world so invested in celebrity relationships? Why do such parasocial relationships with celebrities exist? Everyone loves love indeed, with Zendaya and Tom Holland’s relationship springing to mind immediately, but everyone loves hate, tension, and drama just as much. Parasocial relationships aren’t always about loving a celebrity – people have such relationships with celebrities they hate, too. The common thread here is a considerable investment in the life of someone who is essentially a fictional persona. 

Investing in a celebrity couple is more intense than a celebrity crush – like a crush of the highest order

Nowadays, social media brings us closer to these celebrities. With the swarms of ‘personable’ interviews per press release, we get a free pass to stalk them. We get glimpses into their homes through platforms like Architectural Digest, 70 or so questions with Vogue, beauty secrets with Vogue, and much more. People want to know and see more, creating a false sense of intimacy. However, it’s still an attractive sense of intimacy that doesn’t shatter any fantasy of perfection. The behind-the-scenes vibe we get to see is perfect – it’s perfectly curated and shot, after all! 

Now double that: investing in a celebrity couple is more intense than a celebrity crush – like a crush of the highest order. It’s fascinating that someone’s favourite power couple can reveal so much about them. People tend to favour couples based on relatability. In the case of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s romantic pairing, they represent a dream come true for many young Americans. Their relationship brings to mind the classic trope of teen romantic comedies and movies: the famous and beautiful girl falling for the athletic and charming jock and cheering him on during his big games. So, ultimately, people get a front-row seat of their fairytale come to life and thus feel a sense of connection with them. Therefore, the internet proclamations such as “If they break up, I don’t believe in love anymore” or “Love is dead!”. 

On the flip side – when it comes to hated celebrity couples, I’ve often wondered why, despite the apparent disdain, some people still follow their every move. It’s more like a twisted fairy tale coming to life, and a form of projection. By bullying the popular and pretty people as self-proclaimed social media warriors, they feel powerful and in control. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard come to mind. The level of investment in the lives of Depp and Heard is particularly bizarre, from following their every move to tuning into their court appearances as though it’s the hot new series on Netflix, a fervour that bordered on obsession. 

None of this has been intended to bash celebrities but to critique celebrity culture. Celebrities are human at the end of the day. Still, I find it interesting how regular people fail to grasp that these humans must put on a persona to succeed in their respective fields! I’m sure most celebrities shut off when interacting in their private spheres, so why don’t we disconnect from their private lives and keep celebrities where they belong in our lives, for example, on the TV screen or streaming platform where we were initially introduced to them?