Latest news with #popstars
Vogue
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Why Are We So Obsessed With the Idea of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Getting Married?
I like Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce together as much as the next person (who's not an avowed anti-Swiftie, that is): After years' worth of excellent yet depressing songs about her romantic travails, it's kind of wonderful to see the pop star in what appears, to the untrained eye, to be a happy and healthy relationship. That may be why it's so frustrating to me every time the 'Are Taylor and Travis endgame? Are they engaged???? Are they already married??????' discourse cycle starts up again, as it did this week via Page Six. (The outlet's 'evidence' that the couple may have already wed? A table assignment made out to 'Taylor and Travis Kelce' at Chicago Bears player Cole Kmet's wedding.) Obviously, if all this turns out to be an actual thing, I'll eat my words (and plenty of crow, too). But as of now, I have to wonder why we, as a society, are so invested in the idea of Swift and Kelce becoming a married couple. On the surface of it all, it might not seem that deep—people like beautiful pop stars and handsome athletes and like to see them spend their lives together!—but I can't help reading something a tad darker into the full-blown obsession that started almost immediately after the two went public as a couple in 2023. It's now 2025, and we have ample evidence (some of it provided by Swift's own lyrics!) that a woman is worth far more than the bling on her left-hand ring finger. Still, critical commentators and maritally minded Swifties alike appear determined to distill Swift's narrative down to whether or not she's settling down—or already settled down with—her boyfriend. But, please: They're full-grown adults, and this isn't a Jane Austen novel, so can we please move beyond the marriage plot? There's some substantial cultural precedent to romanticizing a fan-favorite 'fairytale wedding,' but at the risk of sounding cynical, those don't always end well. To wit: Over 750 million people watched Princess Diana float down the aisle to wed the then Prince Charles in 1981, and their actual union was, well, one of the original and defining marital hot messes. ('There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,' remember?) All the nuptial pomp and circumstance in the world didn't create an actual, lasting bond for Diana and Charles, so why would our fever pitch of parasocial expectations around Swift and Kelce's potential marriage in any way set them up for success? If we love Swift as much as so many of us claim we do, shouldn't we just…leave her and her man alone to find their own way to the altar (or not)?
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The REAL reason every female A-lister is suddenly dating way below her 'league'
Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande and have much in common – there are But, for some fans, their similarly questionable relationship choices are what really stand out.
Japan Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
At Cannes, Fukada spotlights J-pop's ban on idol romance
Exploitative contracts that force young female Japanese pop stars to forego relationships and sex are at the heart of director Koji Fukada's latest film, which has premiered in Cannes. The 45-year-old director said he was inspired by a news report about a Japanese "idol," as the stars are known, who was sued by her management agency after breaking a "no dating" clause. Fukada cast former idol Kyoko Saito in the lead role of his feature "Love on Trial," which tells the story of a young performer who undergoes a similar ordeal. "I felt a deep discomfort, a real unease when I found out, and that's what made me want to look into the subject a bit and then turn it into a screenplay," he said in Cannes. The film highlights the unequal relationship between management agencies and the idols, who are usually teenagers trained to become a mixture of pop star, online influencer and advertising prop. But the core of the film examines the more unusual demand that the women remain unattached and chaste — in order for their older, male fanbase to project their fantasies. As the lyrics to the songs of Fukada's fictional five-member group "Happy Fanfare" make clear, the performers spend their time singing about the idea of falling in love. "The industry really encourages this kind of artificial love between fans and their idols," Fukada, the director of "The Real Thing" and "Harmonium" explained. "As soon as an idol appears to have a romantic relationship with someone, it's well known that they lose a lot of popularity." As well as selling merchandise, the women also offer their time for meet-and-greet events — for a price — at which fans can come to talk to them, hold hands, and take selfies. Koji Fukada and Kyoko Saito walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. Fukada's take on the J-pop industry, "Love on Trial, is set for release in Japan later this year. | REUTERS The activist director, who has previously spoken out about sexual harassment and the Japanese film industry's over-reliance on manga adaptations, believes the J-pop industry reflects the prejudices of Japanese society. "There is a lot of prejudice and gender discrimination toward women in our patriarchal system," he said. "We tend to believe that women must be pure, untouched and submissive." As his film makes clear, many of the stars themselves are happy to encourage this image in pursuit of fame and wealth. "I met idols who are still active. Some believe that the ban on romantic relationships is a problem. Others think it's normal because it's a very unusual kind of job," he said. He hopes his film, which is set for release later this year, will spark debate in Japan. "I tried to make a film that could bring out each person's perception of gender, love, freedom and issues of discrimination," he said. "And that every viewer, whether they agree or disagree with the choices made by the heroine, could take part in a discussion around these questions."
