So we've all seen the celebrity couple pictures where both people look absolutely flawless. Or we see the picture of matching Rolexes, Jordans, etc. Let's not forget the screenshots and videos that highlight extravagant gifts for someone's significant other.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with any of this, BUT the common trend in the comment section of these posts is the heart eyes and ring emoji followed by the hashtag "relationship goals". I've noticed that the focus has turned more on the superficial and appearances of a good relationship rather than the actual functionality of the relationship itself. The sentiment is "as long as we look good for the spectators, we can be a train wreck at home". That's almost acceptable if there was actually an effort to fix underlying issues at home. Nobody really cares about fixing communication issues and building stronger bonds. If the bond looks strong (as shown by matching outfits/ accessories), what's the problem? This lends itself to the sentiment, that your relationship is merely for the public and not for your emotional enrichment. We get this practice from celebrities. The sentiment works for them because a lot of their relationships are for PR purposes. Where does that leave us regular folk?-- misguided and entertaining dead-end relationships.
Another example of this misguidance is the bride that obsesses over how her wedding will turn out and goes to ridiculous lengths and "bridge burning" to make sure the day is flawless. I've always said that if people would obsess over the success of their marriage the way they obsess over the wedding, the divorce rate would be decreased by half. Again, it's all about appearances. The wedding is the thing that everyone will see and experience so it has to be flawless. The marriage, however, is kept behind closed doors so it's seen as second priority. The sentiment should actually be the other way around. Your relationship should never be "doctored" for the benefit of anyone except you and your partner.
Unfortunately, we put more effort into fronting than actually working for a successful relationship. Thus, we end up being and/or kissing frogs for an extensive period of time. That's something to think about.
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