Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image/Michael Owens/Getty Images
Topics: Celebrity, Mental Health, Real Life, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, US News
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Celebrity, Mental Health, Real Life, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, US News
After Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce broke the internet earlier this week with news of their engagement, die-hard fans of the celebrity couple have been issued a stern warning from a psychologist.
For those out of the loop with the announcement, the Grammy-winner singer and NFL star took to Instagram on Tuesday (26 Aug), to share a private rose-garden photo 'dump', in which Travis could be seen getting down on one knee.
Another snap saw Taylor showing off her almighty old mine brilliant-cut diamond in a gold bezel setting.
"Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married," the couple, both 35, captioned their joint announcement, which has since racked up a staggering 34+ million likes.
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Oddly, however, in the days after the news hit international headlines, one woman's social media channels were flooded with 'weird' remarks regarding her love life - Travis' ex, Kayla Nicole.
Though the sports journalist - who dated the Kansas City Chiefs star for five years on-off until 2022 - broke her silence following the nearly-weds' announcement by sharing a post on her social media about 'joy', a number of Swifties bombarded her with messages of sympathy.
"Oh Kayla, I feel for you girl. Karma is karma-ing. This has got to be difficult that it's happening on a scale of this magnitude. Hang in there," one Instagram user wrote on her page on Wednesday (27 Aug).
"You OK sis?" another asked.
"You deserve better beautiful and you’ll get that," a third wrote.
As we say, however, a psychologist has since spoken out against celebrity 'stans' weighing in on the lives of people they know nothing about.
Speaking exclusively to Tyla this week in response to T&T's engagement, Dr Lalitaa explained: "In small doses, following celebrity relationships can feel fun and even comforting."
She quickly went on a warn, however: "But when people start inserting themselves into the narrative, it’s usually less about the celebrity and more about what the fan is carrying, such as unhealed wounds or attachments from their past, identity struggles, or the longing to be chosen or a sense of belonging."
The mental wellbeing medic continued: "People often become deeply invested in celebrity relationships because of parasocial bonds, which are basically those one-sided connections we form with public figures.
"Even though there’s no real two-way relationship, the emotions can feel very real and you feel connected to them."
Dr Lalitaa also went on to reference a plea recently made by Justin Bieber's Rhode beauty boss wife, Hailey, who claimed recently she's absolutely over online critics - many of whom identify as 'Selenators' - making comparison's between she and her husband's ex, Selena Gomez.
"Well, I thought seven years in it would’ve [died down] already, and it hasn’t," she told Vogue in a heartbreaking rant earlier this year.
"You would think after having a child, people would maybe move on, chill out a little bit, but no. So I guess these b*****s are going to be mad."
Touching on this other example, too, the psychologist explained: "When someone like Travis Kelce gets engaged, or when people compare Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber, it can stir up strong reactions in fans who relate to the person they relate to.
"For some, it feels like they’re part of the story and will comment, choose sides and even project their own experiences onto the narrative which essentially gives them a sense of involvement and belonging."
Giving us some of the science behind this controversial 'obsession', Dr Lalitaa added: "If we break this down, psychologically, this often comes back to identity, belonging and safety (Maslow's hierarchy of needs).
"If your own relationships feel uncertain, unfulfilling, or complicated, it’s very easy to become absorbed in someone else’s."
She continued: "Celebrities feel familiar, we see them every day online, in interviews, on stage, through the media, especially now with social media and that constant exposure makes them feel almost like friends.
"The difficulty is that fans forget they’re responding to a curated image, not the full complexity of real people’s lives as we only see some of the picture. That’s where it can tip into comparison, judgement, or even hostility."
"Underneath, it’s often about unmet needs such as, wanting connection, craving reassurance, or trying to process our own feelings about love and rejection."
So, Swifties and Selenators, it's time to take a chill pill - there's someone sitting on the other side of that computer.