Call me parasocial, but when I saw those pictures of Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet canoodling at the US Open, I felt the same warm fuzzy feelings you get when two of your friends finally confess their love for one another.
Without even thinking, I screenshot the image of Kylie holding Timothée’s hair back as he beamed and sent it in my WhatsApp group. As if the new couple were an extended part of our friendship group.
Reading the commentary on social media, I’m clearly not alone in my excitement for the latest celebrity surprise paring, even from Kylie’s harshest critics.
The KUWTK Reddit forum is where you’re most likely to find me if you peer over my shoulder and snoop on my phone screen during a busy commute. To quote the iconic Pam Shipman, “It’s all the drama, Mick. I just love it!”
Even in the harshest Internet corners, people can’t get enough. “Guys, I found an even cuter picture,” is the title of the latest Kylie and Timmy thread on there. “So, rooting for them, let’s gooo,” commented one user. Of course, I had to upvote, “I would die (of goodness) if they did the Met together” and nod in agreement at, “I love the way he looks at her”.
This kind of mass fever reminds me of when Kylie’s sister, Kourtney started dating her now husband Travis Barker.
Here were two people, who, on the surface seemed like they would hate one another. Travis, being so proud of his humble bin man beginnings that he has the words ‘self-made’ tattooed on him and Kourtney born into a life of privilege thanks to her OJ Simpson defending lawyer father.
Then there’s Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. The singer/actress/brand founder has the kind of discipline and drive that sees her sacrifice sugar, caffeine, and lie ins for abs (can’t relate). She is widely considered the upmost professional, never putting a foot wrong in public.
Ben, however, is a walking meme. Whether he’s taking a much-needed fag break, spilling his Dunkin Doughnuts morning coffee, or being told to “Stop, look more friendly…look motivated,” by his wife at the Grammys (can relate).
Personally, I think we live for these unexpected couples because they make us believe in real love. Not the formulaic kind that’s arranged on dating apps based on what TV show you’re currently binge watching.
These opposites don’t have to find a common ground of liking cats or pasta because we believe their love overcomes everything. They were destined to be together so what does it matter that one likes watching The Bear and the other The Real Housewives of Atlanta?
They also allow us to see someone in a different light. Despite being on our screens since she was 8 years old, Kylie is relatively private when it comes to her personal life (much to the detriment of their TV show may I add).
This hasn’t stopped us putting the surface level pieces we do know about her and forming an online consensus that she’s vapid, shallow, materialistic, and self-obsessed. Things that are seemingly in direct opposition to the image we’ve projected onto Timothée.
So, were we wrong about Kylie all along or Timothée? Or is it that their love for one another conquers all and has unlocked these different personalities?
He's dating her? Apparently — and everyone can relax.
Seeing Kylie smiling and laughing with her boyfriend is something we never saw with her ex, Travis Scott. The power of this new love has humanised her in some respects. Who couldn’t feel something watching them fawn over one another as if they’re the only people in that tennis stand She’s belly laughing, he’s looking at her in a way that would make even the coldest heart melt and it’s just a reminder of how beautiful love really can be.
And while I don’t want to assume that Kylie’s recent stripped-back image change has anything to do with him, it’s fair to say the assumptions can be drawn. Has being in a loving relationship allowed her the space to grow and explore her other identities beyond the Instagram baddy?
I’ve been racking my brains trying to draw parallels to an unexpected real-life couple who prove that real love doesn’t require an application form, when I realised the answer was right in front of me.
My mum and dad will have been married for 43 years this October. No, they don’t gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes like Kylie and Timmy (thank God), but they’ve created a beautiful life and family environment despite having more separate interests than they do shared.
Perhaps the one thing us singletons need to take from Kylie and Timothée is that we need to stop treating our dating life like a roommate application and stop judging people based on their limited Internet personality.
Just please remind me of that when I go to hit pass on the next guy that mentions cats in his dating bio.
