From Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello: Celebrity break-ups reflect our own relationship struggles
Our fascination with celebrity breakups has stood the test of time. Last week, actors Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello announced their divorce after seven years of marriage. Ariana Grande and her husband, Dalton Gomez, also appeared to be on the outs.
Fans were trawling the stars' social media posts, looking for any clue about what was going on — on their ring fingers, in their facial expressions and even in the posts the stars liked. You most likely don't know them, so why do you care? Because dealing with a breakup is one of the most relatable things a star can do. «Breakups are such an identifiable thing,» said Alicia Mintz, who hosts the podcast «Trashy Divorces» with her wife, Stacie Boschma.
«It's all about endings. We all have them.» As traditional definitions of relationships change and marriage rates drop, people of all ages and backgrounds still observe with rapt attention the love lives of celebrities, and even theorize about their relationships. We root for some to stay together, and pray that others ditch the partners we see as a mismatch.
While it's easy to glamorize aspects of stars' lives, such as their wardrobes and vacations, experts say it's in their personal hardships and romantic conflicts that we see our own lives reflected. In other words, stars — they're just like us. Or maybe we're starting to take our cues from the stars.
«Statistically, you're not one and done,» Mintz said. «You're going to have some heartbreak, and maybe seeing some other people's heartbreak will help you feel better about your own.» The «Trashy Divorces» hosts have released deep-dive episodes on more than 500 celebrity relationships, including relationships that went on for far too long (F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda
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