We are surrounded by the media constantly, and every day we are flooded with news regarding celebrities and information about their lives. We are told everything about them, from what they eat to what they wear and even who they date. Their fame allows celebrities to endorse products or partner with brands to gain money and a bigger following. Sometimes it is hard to know what is real about a celebrity and what is just being done for a paycheck. 

This brings about the question: are all celebrity relationships real? If celebrities are influencing us to buy products by endorsing them, can they endorse people by dating them? Can they gain money and a bigger following by pretending to be in a relationship with another well-known public figure? The interest that society has on celebrity lives draws us in. But we must consider, is what we are being shown even real? 

When thinking about PR relationships, the first that come to mind are the Kardashians. The Kardashians are a well-known reality TV family whose lives are followed closely by their many followers. Many of the family members have other businesses, such as makeup, clothing and lifestyle companies. On the TV show, we watch as they grow their businesses, get married, have children and go through divorces. 

In one instance, Kim Kardashian married a well-known football player, Chris Humphries. However, many believe it was a publicity stunt considering they were married for less than three months. To the public, it seemed like Kim and Chris were treating marriage like a game, which devalues the true meaning and connection behind the commitment they made and showed to their audience. 

Everything about the Kardashians’ lives seems very calculated. They even go so far as to call their mother, Kris Jenner, their “Momager,” combination mom and manager. She allegedly handles everything about their lives, including their relationships. 

In recent years, some may say the Kardashians have become somewhat irrelevant so it is no coincidence that they slowly started getting back into the news cycle by starting relationships. With Kourtney dating well-known singer Travis Barker and Kim seeing comedian Pete Davidson, suddenly, they’re back on TV, trending on Twitter, and going viral on social media. 

Another celebrity relationship that was rumored to be a PR stunt was the relationship between Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendez, who started dating after they collaborated on their song “Senorita.” Their relationship was often reported on in the media as being “off” and stilted. In one incident, there was social media buzz about them going on walks together holding empty coffee mugs during the Covid-19 quarantine of summer 2020, bringing them plenty of attention. 

In recent events, we consider the Will Smith situation, in which he walked up on stage at the Oscars to smack Chris Rock after he made a joke about his wife. It was strange to see a man defend his wife that aggressively publicly, especially given the “entanglement” that consisted of his wife, Jada Smith, cheating on her husband in recent years. It sets a certain example to the public about loyalty, even when done incorrectly. 

Similar situations to consider are with Bill and Hillary Clinton who continued “standing by her man” after his cheating scandal and Beyonce with Jay-Z after he cheated on her. Instances like this can have negative effects on the public by showing that you should stay with and defend inadequate partners. Of course, we cannot certainly know the truth behind all celebrity relationships and why people do the things they do, but these relationships can distort the reality of what a positive relationship really is. 

When two celebrities get together, it always sparks conversations. Those conversations can drive sales, social media insight, and more. It can be hard to watch celebrity couples on TV and try to compare their lives to our own, because many of these celebrity relationships can distort how relationships should be handled. 

It is important to realize that what you see on TV is not necessarily true to what is going on in real life and to consider how we are being influenced by these celebrity couples. 

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