I, a self-proclaimed introvert, would pause my music on the bus and listen to a complete stranger divulge their love life to me if the opportunity presented itself.
I’ve spent countless days listening to coworkers spill their relationships woes. And I’ll never pass up a night to sit on the couch with a friend and some wine and talk about their love life - good or bad.
I’ll also admit that I’ve been guilty of letting my nosey thumb press on obvious click-bait online because a famous so-and-so broke up with another famous so-and-so. And did it enrich my life?
Nope.
Was it entertaining for a moment? Of course.
The website WhosDatedWho.com is a perfect example of how much we truly care about the ins and outs of other people’s dating lives - especially the rich and famous.
This website has compiled a ginormous list of celebrities and their lovers, past and present. Scandalous, I know.
It even ranks the celebrities based off of their current popularity, showing you how long a couple was together, and how many relationships the individual has had in total.
In case you were wondering (and I know you are) the top three celebrities on WhosDatedWho are currently: Henry Cavill, a single British actor known for his role as Superman, with 8 relationships under his belt, singer Taylor Swift with 11 known relationships (she’s taken, sorry fellas), and finally singer/actress Selena Gomez with 6 known relationships (rumour has it, she’s single and ready to mingle).
The website goes into (almost) excessive detail about the celebrities and their lovers, revealing their zodiac sign, sexuality, the high school they went to, and even their weight - and for the ladies, their cup size. Yes actually.
Or the website outlines what they think they know about that relationship at least.
For example, if you click on Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, it shows you a long, drawn out timeline that dates back all the way to 2010. With multiple different dates for hookups, dates, and breakups, I kept wondering “who filled this out?” and “how did they find this information?”
You can tell that from all the conflicting dates that neither Justin or Selena were consulted on this, but who doesn’t love to speculate? You’ll also find on the webpage a comparison of the couples height, hair colour, nationality and if their zodiac signs were compatible.
And for the curious minds that must know, Bieber is a pisces and Gomez is a Cancer, and according to the stars they should have worked out! What a shame.
I spent more time than I would like to admit to anyone going from celebrity to celebrity, to relationship to other rumoured relationship, so I get it. It’s intriguing.
But because of who I am as a person, I couldn’t help but think “what if that were me?” What if us everyday folk had a database to compile all of the people we ever loved, how it ended, and how long it lasted for? Would that be healthy? Would you look at it obsessively?
The truth is that it would be like a sore you couldn’t stop touching even though you knew you had to in order to heal.
Whether we want to admit it or not, a lot of us love to indulge in others' love lives.
Whether it’s your favourite singer or your recent single-and-looking coworker, if they want to tell, we want to listen. Dating and love are such huge parts of many of our lives, whether you’re trying to find “The One” or trying to keep them.
Love is something we all have in common, so being curious about the ins and outs of other people’s love lives is normal! It’s not always shallow gossip or clickbait, it’s humans trying to connect with their fellow humans.
