The summer of 2018 has been full of whirlwind celebrity romances and engagements.
Ariana Grande recently shocked fans and family by announcing she has been engaged to Pete Davidson since early June, despite having only dated him for several weeks. Their short road to a $93,000 engagement ring incurred plenty of backlash from the internet and personal circles.
Grande’s mother and manager, along with other close family members, have told media that they are worried Davidson plans to use the pop star for her money and fame, but the couple continues to proudly flaunt their wedding dreams in the face of criticism.
Joining Grande in the spotlight, Justin Bieber just proposed to Hailey Baldwin during their vacation to the Bahamas. Bieber and Baldwin have only officially been dating since last month, and Twitter was ablaze with the cries of grief-stricken Beliebers.
Twitter user @hannaangevin said: “Justin Bieber is engaged to Hailey Baldwin and I have never been so sad in my entire life… did she know every word to every song? did she go to his concert by herself? did she buy all purple clothes because he said it was his favorite color? did she even watch never say never?”
Justin Bieber is engaged to Hailey Baldwin and I have never been so sad in my entire life… did she know every word to every song? did she go to his concert by herself? did she buy all purple clothes because he said it was his favorite color? did she even watch never say never
— Hannaaaa (@hannalangevin) July 8, 2018
But not all the responses have been so comical. When one Twitter user criticized the engagements of both Grande and Bieber, suggesting the proposals were contrived by the stars’ shared manager Scooter Braun, Grande quickly replied in a since deleted, scathing tweet.
“….. you do realize we are human beings who love and have lives …… right ? and that scooter is a wonderful human being too who cares first n foremost ab our health and happiness ? love is lit. shit happens. i hope to god it happens to you too. u deserve it.”
Despite the Bieber and Baldwin engagement appearing haphazard, the two have known each other much longer than when they started dating in June. Bieber and Baldwin met in 2009 and have been friends since 2015.
The two were photographed kissing at a New Year’s party in 2015, and in March 2016, Bieber explained why he and Baldwin were taking it slow in a cover story for GQ.
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“What if Hailey ends up being the girl I’m gonna marry, right? If I rush into anything, if I damage her, then it’s always gonna be damaged.”
Bieber’s infamous high-profile relationship with Selena Gomez officially ended in 2014 but lingered on into 2018. The couple even attended therapy over fights stemming from Bieber’s friendship with Baldwin until another official break in March.
It wasn’t until the past month that Bieber and Baldwin were frequently seen together, confirming through affectionate moments that their friendship was blossoming into something more.
Despite the protests of fans and spectators, Bieber’s dad professed his support of the engagement on Instagram, captioning a photo of his son with “Proud is an understatement! Excited for the next chapter!”
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Clearly, the Bieber and Baldwin love story has been brewing for many years, a sort of one-that-got-away scenario not done justice by those who only know about their most recent relationship.
Although fan uproar is expected, Grande had every right to remind everyone that celebrities are, first and foremost, human. As revealed in Cardi B’s announcement of her secret engagement earlier this summer, celebrities have a need to enjoy the most intimate parts of their lives with the same respect afforded to other couples.
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Love is the most significant thing that humans share, regardless of their fame or wealth. Perhaps these unforeseen engagements, instead of being viewed as irresponsible or as mistakes, should further humanize celebrities such as Grande, Bieber and Baldwin, increasing their relatability in the process.
But that comfort will do little to satisfy the broken hearts of those who spent their adolescence dreaming of walking down the aisle to the tune of “Baby” while Bieber waits at the altar.
