For those of you who didn't keep up with the Met Gala last night, 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.
"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."
"[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.
"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."
"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 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."
"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!
Check out the “Best of Elite Daily” stream in the Bustle App for more stories just like this!
