It’s been 10 days since the divorce of Hollywood’s favorite super-couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, or should I say Brangelina?
My pantry is scarce. My clothes are dirty. I have successfully binge-watched every episode of “Gilmore Girls” — twice — while drowning my sorrows in pizza and ice cream.
After all of this internal suffering and contemplation, I still only have one question — why is this even news?
Celebrity couples are in no way more romantic than normal couples.
None of this is new, and honestly, it probably won’t go away anytime soon. Humanity has always had the mentality of idealizing individuals considered superior to them. The Greeks did it with ancient gods, and so do we with artists and public figures.
Considering our heroes, like the Greek gods, are fallible, perhaps we should reevaluate who we idealize.
To a more extreme level, this mindset has been radicalized in the form of celebrity worship syndrome. This legitimate mental health issue can range from actively following your idols on Twitter to basically stalking.
The concept of a super-couple is one that is as ludicrous as the couple names assigned to them by the media, such as “Kimye,” “TomKat” and even “Billary.” It comes from the psychological tendency of people trying to relate on a personal level to celebrities they may never meet.
Let’s also get rid of the term “power couple.” There is nothing remotely powerful about the personal matters of complete strangers.
Yet when the A-list actors separated Sept. 15 after their two-year marriage, you could have mistaken the outrage and chaos of the internet for the beginning of a third world war.
I understand Pitt and Jolie were together for about a decade before their marriage, but please don’t fail to realize that this is, in fact, none of your business. Unless he or she is committing, encouraging or condoning acts of inhumanity, being a public figure does not excuse scapegoating, especially for personal, romantic matters.
Let’s not forget the completely pointless Jay-Z and Beyoncé scandal, which was struck by a lyric on the latter’s “Lemonade” LP that hints at the former cheating on her. Beyoncé fans everywhere exploded on social media and looked prepared to kill the hip-hop artist in cold blood.
This isn’t even the first time Pitt and Jolie were caught up in a scandalous celebrity breakup. The end to Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s relationship, via a possible act of infidelity between Pitt and Jolie, has been treated like the most treacherous thing to be committed in the past 30 years.
Even after 11 years, Aniston has still been unable to escape the news of this divorce. Fans still place her on a pedestal as this flawless angel, and Jolie is still viewed by many as some sort of other woman.
When the Brangelina divorce was announced, Aniston fans almost immediately looked to the star of “Friends” for a reaction, as if expecting some sort of bloodlust-fueled satisfaction.
Apparently the fact Aniston has had three relationships and one marriage since her split with Pitt doesn’t matter in the tabloid world. Hate seems to provide more closure than love.
To reach happiness, one must prioritize love for oneself, for friends and for family. In this limited spectrum, there has never been room for famous outsiders.
afaulds@indiana.edu
@a_faulds9615
