When the news broke of Anna Faris and Chris Pratt’s split, I was one of many who felt really saddened by it- despite having never met either of them, let alone having any kind of friendship or close relationship with them.
As the dramatic Twitter reactions and intrusive news articles flooded in (with Buzzfeed even declaring “love is dead” in response to the split), it got me wondering if I have ever or would ever react in the same way if a close friend or family member told me they were separating from a long term partner. Even if I adored them both and they appeared to always be happy, I certainly wouldn’t respond with “noooooooooooooooooooooooo!” or by texting them an angry crying gif. I would be asking how they were, what their next steps would be, and reminding them if they needed any support or help I’d be there. This is what people need when facing a life changing decision, not melodramatic reactions or accusations of letting the ideals of true love down.
“Their social media posts about each other were funny, loving and sweet, but it’s what we all do; we share the edited highlights.”
Considering Anna Faris and Chris Pratt chose to break this on their own social media accounts before the media beat them to it, it must still be strange if they took a second to look at the responses that imply they have betrayed the public’s expectations of their relationship. Sure, their social media posts about each other were funny, loving and sweet, but it is what they chose to show the public. It’s what we all do; we share the edited highlights and if I was in the public eye I would not be sharing details of strain on my relationship with the world.
It is one thing to cope with the attempted scandalous stories that the press will squeeze out of their neutral statements (already the likes of Fox News and the Daily Mail have blamed both Pratt’s rising fame and his co-star Jennifer Lawrence for the split), but another to be made to feel like you have disappointed people by not carrying on with your relationship, pretending to be happy in a farce to appease public perception. Even their joint statement feels like they are justifying their decision to the public by writing “we tried hard for a long time and we’re really disappointed”. Whilst that may all be true, they should not feel they have to be in a position to explain they have been trying in private to make their marriage work, to stop the public jumping in with their own disappointment. I feel completely deflated for them just knowing they felt a need to include this detail, justifying their decision in what is already an incredibly difficult thing to go through.
“It is not our place to assume we know a relationship better than the people in it.”
There is far too much pressure from the public for high profile couples to be perfect 24/7, with hashtags including #couplegoals being thrown around and used by fans who have no idea what that couple’s relationship is truly like away from the public eye. It is not our place to assume we know a relationship better than the people in it. It is part of the nature of celebrity that we idolise people we will never meet and thanks to social media we also feel like we have a better understanding of who these stars really are. However, it does not make us privy to what goes on behind closed doors or the private dynamics of a marriage and nor should we be entitled to know that.
Behind all the perceived glamour, these celebrities are just normal people muddling through trying to make relationships work, and they do not deserve an added pressure or expectation on their relationship just because they are in the public eye. This isn’t necessarily even about celebrity couples showing they aren’t always living perfect, flashy lives; just it being okay for them to choose to separate with quiet dignity and not an over the top pouring of melodrama from the public. I know reactions like that would never have helped me through break ups, so why should it be any different for someone of high profile?
Whilst it is truly sad that Faris and Pratt have decided to separate, the public reaction has made me think twice about how we respond to potentially upsetting news from high profile or publically loved celebrities.
