When reports emerged last week that Leonardo DiCaprio, 47, had called it quits with girlfriend Camila Morrone, 25, the internet had plenty to say about the actor who has a reputation for solely dating younger women – and my colleagues have been reporting on difference angles of the relationship-age-gap topic that I wanted to highlight in this week’s newsletter.
My colleague Hannah Yasharoff explored the discourse surrounding DiCaprio’s breakup as emblematic of a larger trend of reexamining celebrity relationships with wide age gaps. Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift have both used songs to call out their significantly older exes for dating them when they were in their late teens and early 20s.
Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles’ relationship has also sparked headlines about their 10-year age gap, with the 38-year-old “Don’t Worry Darling” director reduced to a “thirsty cougar” or “predator,” while Styles, 28, remains relatively unscathed by the backlash.
My colleague Jenna Ryu heard from experts that the one-sided reaction is likely due to who is leading the age gap.
As Jenna points out in her piece, women like Demi Moore and Kim Kardashian have also faced one-sided backlash for dating younger men, and the public outcry has less to do with the age gap and more to do with traditional, sexist gender norms.
To read Hannah’s full story, click here. And to read Jenna’s full story, click here.
Summer fling or longtime relationship ending? How to announce a breakup.
Is there a certain protocol to announce a breakup? Not exactly.
In this week’s column, Sara Kuburic, the Millennial Therapist, writes she wishes she could give readers a “step-by-step of how-to-let-everyone-know-you’re-single-again, but I can’t. There is no ‘right’ way to do this, just a way that works for you.”
But if you’re ready to tell people about your relationship ending, here are a couple of things to consider from her column:
Get everyone on the same page
Before moving forward with an announcement, make sure your partner understands that the relationship is, in fact, over. Your partner shouldn’t be learning about their own relationship status from others or an Instagram post.
Take a moment to process it
Before spreading the news, make sure you are in a place where you can handle it. Regardless of how supportive people may be, there will be at least one aunt or second cousin who inadvertently hurts your feelings. If nothing else, you will be bombarded with messages and questions. Check in with yourself: Are you ready for the attention, criticism and people’s reactions? Do you understand your narrative? Have you had any time to process and grieve? What boundaries do you want to set?
Plan who needs to know first
Maybe you want to tell your family and close friends before you make it public. If you have kids, chances are they should be among the first to know. Or, maybe, you don’t want to bother with making it “official” and will start telling people casually when Christmas parties, weddings or graduation invitations come rolling in and you start to RSVP alone.
To read the rest of her tips, click here.
Help! My mom hates my husband, but wants to be our real estate agent
For this week’s advice column, a reader wrote in: “My mom and I have had a rocky relationship in the past, but it came to a head when my mom moved in with my husband and I a few years ago. She lost her job shortly after moving in, and stopped paying her rent but continued to go out with friends, travel, and get packages. When confronted, things didn’t go well. After several explosive fights we finally asked her to leave. Everything was blamed on my husband because, according to her, he changed me when I married him. Therapy helped me learn that I’ve been suffering from narcissistic abuse and I now understand the boundaries needed to protect myself.
We didn’t have much contact with her after her eviction, but she pushed to see us soon after I gave birth to our first daughter. We were in this weird limbo where she pretended nothing happened, except she acted like my husband was invisible. This led to awkward visits and eventually we just stopped inviting her over. During this time, she got into the real estate business. We decided to sell our house and buy another, but went with another agent as I didn’t really feel comfortable having my house sold by someone who acted as if my husband wasn’t alive. I found out shortly after the sale that she had calculated exactly how much she would have made if we had hired her and was telling family members (mainly my siblings) that I had cheated her out of thousands of dollars. This didn’t go over well.
Now, my husband and I are ready to find a home in the country and things with my mom have slightly improved. It has been mentioned in passing that we may soon be selling again, and my mom automatically assumed that she would be our agent. I didn’t have the guts to correct her and tell her we plan on using the same agent as last time. I know it won’t go over well, but I don’t feel comfortable using her when she still can’t talk to my husband, and she fixated on how much money she felt we cheated her out of last time. Am I wrong for not using my mom as my real estate agent?”
To read what our advice columnist shared, click here.
Today’s reads
Today’s pet
Meet Bane.
“This is Bane from Wooster, Ohio doing one of his favorite things ~ riding in the sidecar!” writes Natalie Richardson.
