Celebrity couples: Relationship role models or cautionary tales?

Over the years, most of us have witnessed the births, lives and demise of countless celebrity couples, flings, etc. I, for one, pay close attention to the creation and evolution of some of the biggest celebrity couples known to us all. When I was younger, I felt they were the epitome of real love and lasting romance. Now, I wish I could say that notion holds true but I’m not so sure that’s possible.

Keeping up with celebrity relationships nowadays feels like a full-time job for me. Everything seems so up and down in the world of celebrity romance today. One minute, a celebrity couple forms and launches itself into the world as a new beacon of hope for us common folk. 

The next, you see them getting physically violent with each other or one party engaging in an external entanglement.

Speaking of entanglements, I’d like to share my thoughts on a couple that we’ve all been privy to for a good bit of our lives: Jada and Will Smith. The couple used to be the poster people for love. J. Cole even said that he desired “that Jada and that Will love” in his hit single “No Role Modelz.” Personally, I’ve never really been a fan of them. 

Hearing about them from my family during my childhood and growing up alongside their children was cool but other than that, I’ve never felt any real connection or inspiration from them as a couple. Then, when the problems and complexity of their marriage kept reappearing in the news, it simply felt like there was no reason for me to care about them. 

With the current revelations of their marriage being aired out in Jada’s new novel “Worthy” and her press tour following its release, I feel like we’re all being gagged with information that we didn’t ask for and that I know I don’t desire. I’m sure that this exposure of the truth is in some way helpful for their, mostly her, healing process, but I feel like it’s just really excessive and could’ve been kept private.

Don’t get me wrong, all celebrity relationships aren’t terrible or tragic. There are still some left that continue to inspire us to chase and cultivate love. Though in my opinion, those as of late are few and far between. A great example of one of these extraordinary couples is Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. I am an effervescently proud Swiftie, however, this does not influence my opinion. At least, I don’t think it does.

Swift and Kelce have only been dating for a little over a month now and their romance has taken the world by storm and surprise. From what I’ve gathered, a good bit of people believe that their relationship is a publicity stunt, forged to broaden Travis Kelce’s fame beyond football and to make amends for Taylor Swift’s short-lived romance with the controversial lead vocalist for The 1975, Matty Healy.

I completely understand how people could conclude that their relationship is nothing more than a calculated ploy. However, that isn’t how I see it. I believe that these two may have finally met their match.

Swift’s relationships have been in the public eye for years, in the society pages and in her music. Her relationship with Joe Alwyn, English actor, was her longest relationship and interestingly enough, her most private. I’m sure that may seem like a positive correlation, but that privacy was the presumed cause of their separation. Swift enjoys allowing her fans and others to share in her life experiences.

Kelce’s relationship history has had a similar track record. He’s been linked to many individuals romantically and even had a dating show surrounding his love life on E! Network called “Catching Kelce.” His longest relationship was with influencer Kayla Nicole, which lasted five years and ended in May of 2022.

Both Swift and Kelce are vulnerable individuals who value their fans and supporters, so I think that the current publicity of their relationship not only works for them in the ways people assume, but also for them as people. They seem to be very unafraid to let loose and share their romantic evolution with the world.

One thing I will say about their relationship is that I would like to see the pace slow down a bit. I mean, they’ve only been dating for a little over a month and I’ve seen Instagram posts about them possibly buying a house together. As a fan of both individuals, I’m happy to see that they’re working out, but as The Supremes so graciously pointed out, you can’t hurry love.

I could go on and on with more examples of celebrity couples that do and don’t represent love in an adequate way but that would take a while. In my heart of hearts, I feel that we as a society shouldn’t hold these couples to the high standard that we do. It’s honestly bad enough that we’ve made them famous and in a way, better than us, by financial means and standards. 

In my life, I didn’t grow up with many positive examples of healthy relationships or marriages, and I know that there are so many others out there that didn’t either. I feel like that’s why it’s so easy for us as a society, myself included, to cling to these celebrity relationships and their progress. However, we all have to realize that the concepts of love and relationships are different for each and every person and couple. We all get to choose how that looks for us.

Celebrity relationships may be there as a guide or maybe even an aspiration, but in my opinion, we’re better off just taking a leap of faith and finding out what love looks and feels like for ourselves.