Why is the world so invested in celebrity relationships?

Being in the public eye inadvertently means millions have something to say about your personal life. And they become only more passionate when two beloved stars start dating. Celebrity break-ups make more headlines than national emergencies; people attack each other on the Internet more than when an election rolls around. The real question is… what is genuinely fuelling our passion for two individuals we don't even know personally?

The world romanticises celebrity relationships because, as some suggest, the pairings give them hope. People want what they can't have, so seeing two drop-dead gorgeous people together in what is portrayed to be a whirl-wind romance makes people starry-eyed. Watching a live stream of someone's wedding, then reading about it in fashion and lifestyle magazines, and following them on their honeymoon through Instagram makes people feel like they are part of the relationship. We come to believe that they are the epitome of perfection and fail to consider that they are real people with real emotions. So, when this relationship blows up… so does the rest of the world.

For years people have loved the narrative of an affair, from Brad and Angelina to Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. When Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn broke up earlier this year, society had a lot to say. People on the Internet proclaimed "love is dead!!!!" and dug through her discography to find hidden clues about the reason for this break-up. The masses believe they have every right to pick apart a famous relationship because they were given access to it online.

Couples tied together with a love triangle also tend to bring in a lot of media coverage because society loves seeing two women fight over a man. Besides stemming from textbook misogyny, the "tension" between the two women is often wholly fabricated, and the man walks away unscathed. Having to choose sides in situations like these gives people something to gossip and fixate on; to the world, it's more a game than two women's reputations. This has been seen repeatedly, whether it was Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie in the 2000s or Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez today.

Celebrities use image crafting to create specific personas for people to identify with, so people get confused and upset when they try to break away from this archetype. One such instance is the constant back and forth around "all American girl next door" Britney Spears's sexuality in the 2000s. The commotion surrounding Justin Timberlake claiming he took her virginity before she cheated on him was wild. Everyone had something to say about Britney breaking Timberlake's heart, but not a lot to say about him discussing their private life on the radio. It was a messy public breakup that is remembered to this day.

On the other hand, people love a good happily ever after. And many superstars are happy to give their fans that extra dopamine rush. From blockbuster movies to adorable clips from interviews, Zendaya and Tom Holland's love story has captured hearts globally. Instances like this make fans believe that great chemistry on screen must translate to the off-screen, and some people cannot separate the two. Big franchises draw in bigger fanbases; people get attached to their favourite fictional characters and, in turn, the people that play them on the big screen. PR teams often play off this and force actors to keep up the romance for the entirety of the press, like Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's alleged fake relationship to promote Twilight. Or, in other cases, fans get invested to a point where they start "shipping" platonic co-stars together. Some actors have said it is uncomfortable and disrespectful, especially to their real-life significant others.

In a world captivated by fame, celebrity relationships offer a potent blend of fantasy and reality, becoming a canvas on which we project our desires and insecurities. We're drawn to the lives of the rich and famous, often blurring the lines between personas and people. Amidst the spectacle, it's normal to find fascination in these relationships as they mirror our yearnings and remind us of shared human experiences.