For those of you who didn't keep up with
the Met Gala, let me give you a little refresher. As usual, it
delivered with some amazing outfits and, more importantly, some juicy celebrity
gossip. The Met Gala has always been a great place for A-listers to flaunt
their relationships, both new and old. Last night, two Riverdale star, Cole Sprouse and
Lili Reinhart, made their red carpet debut. While you may have heard
about the possibility of the two being linked together for a while now, last
night was a pretty big deal because it was the first time the two decided to
step out publicly as a couple.
In fact, in a recent interview with Seventeen,
Reinhart made it pretty clear that she didn't necessarily plan on going public
with Sprouse any time soon.
Every time someone asks me about it, I make
a decision then and there about whether I’m comfortable. It’s not like I’m in
some kind of contract, but I’m not in the place where I want to talk about it,
and that’s totally fine. It’s called a private life for a reason—it’s mine, and
it’s special and sacred. My relationships are between me and whomever I’m with,
not between me and the world.
So, now that the couple decided to shock
the world by finally coming forward at pretty much the most public
event, like, ever, here are all the clues we can gather about what their
relationship is really like.
Going public means they're willing to take
risks for each other.
"Having worked for
my clients in the entertainment industry for over 25 years, I know what a big
deal it is for a couple to go public," says Dr. Gary Brown,
a prominent relationship therapist in Los Angeles who has been working with his
clients in the entertainment industry for over 25 years. "The fact that
they will now routinely be in the public eye says that their relationship is
important enough to them, that they are willing to give up one of the most
cherished commodities for any actor — their privacy. This is particularly true
for singles who become couples. In their case, possibly even more so as there
will be the inevitable comparisons to their characters on Riverdale to
their relationship IRL."
"Going 'public' in a
relationship is somewhat unique for celebrities or other public figures,"
adds Dr. Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and host of The Web Radio Show.
"Simply because they are seen and known by more people, and the
assumptions that are made about the relationship can, in some cases, impact
their careers."
Their relationship had to be in a solid place
to make this move.
"[Becoming public] also opens a flood
gate of judgement," warns Dr. Klapow. "Going public means that your
relationship is going to be tested by the outside world. To be ready for this,
you need to be very clear on a few things."
Specifically, Dr. Klapow notes there are
four things a couple should be clear on before going public. First, it's the
nature of the relationship (i.e where this going and what are we). Second, it's
how they you're going to handle judgment. Third, it's how much the two of you
are willing to share with others about each other and your relationship.
Finally, he notes it's important to know when it's time "to pull together,
to talk out issues that have come up from others from the outside, being ready
to tackle difficult statements that could be made by family, friends,
co-workers."
If Reinhart and Sprouse really have all of
these things figured out, I'd say they're in a pretty good place.
They're excited about the
relationship but may not be ready for the risks.
"Sometimes, going public is
overrated," Dr. Klapow warns. "We tend to do it because we are
excited and proud of our relationship. However, if we are not prepared for
comments, speculations, questions, and a test of who we are as a couple, then
the glory of making the announcement is overshadowed by the strain of the
public scrutiny. That holds whether you are Lili and Cole or anyone."
They see each other as equals.
"Cole and Lilli’s outfits signify as a
whole that they’re a new couple on the market who are ready to take on life
together," says Sydney Sadick,
on-air fashion and style expert. "Both looks were particularly fresh, from
the color and silhouette of Lili’s look to the crop pants in Cole’s tuxedo, but
one didn’t out-shine the other. While Lili’s look was certainly romantic and
flirty with its gorgeous, soft, blue color palette and off-the-shoulder
silhouette, it also had a visible edge, showing that there’s no superiority
complex in their relationship. Rather, she and Cole are equals."
As a couple, they know their place on the
Hollywood totem poll.
"As their first
time walking the carpet, and [first time walking] together, they made a
statement while not competing with the big Met Gala red carpet vets like Kim Kardashian
and J. Lo," notes Sadick. "They were chic and youthful, sophisticated
and playful."
There may be some trouble in
the bedroom.
"Her legs are crossed and they're
crossed tightly," notes Patti Wood, body language expertand author of SNAP: Making the Most of First
Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma. "It may
be the dress. But what's interesting is that, in this intimate moment with him,
she's still very concerned about the dress and/or she needs to cross her legs
which usually indicates a problem with sexuality in the relationship, a lack of
fidelity in the relationship, or some kind of concern about sex." Wood
highlights the fact that it really "could just be the dress but it's
interesting that she's crossing her legs so tightly even when
she's so close up to him."
I don't know about you guys but that dress
is so
short I'm going to go ahead and attribute her crossed legs to that.
Or the fact that this is their first time stepping out as a couple publicly and
I can't even imagine how nerve wrecking that must be.
Congrats to Reinhart and Sprouse on finally
taking the plunge and making it official!
Link to article: https://www.elitedaily.com/p/cole-sprouse-lili-reinharts-red-carpet-debut-gave-these-6-clues-into-their-bond-9019726Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
