Harry Styles is officially engaged to Zoë Kravitz, having proposed with a staggering $1,000,000 (£741,000) ring. The news broke after speculation erupted online when Zoë, 37, was seen sporting a large but blurry diamond on her finger. The Batman actress has reportedly been showing off the sparkling rock to a close circle of friends, enjoying their private bubble before going public.
Fans Unite Against Negativity
Despite being two of the most famous celebrities, Harry and Zoë have kept their relationship relatively private. Recent pictures finally captured the stunning ring as Zoë walked through New York City, just days after kissing the Aperture singer goodbye. It has been eight months since they were first spotted together, and sources claim Harry is absolutely 'smitten.'
Unlike previous parasocial responses, fans have been quick to defend Zoë from 'misogynistic' comments regarding the romance. A parasocial relationship refers to when someone feels they know—and potentially have a relationship with—someone they have never met. Typically, this describes how fans feel toward celebrities.
When sharing the good news, an active member of the Harry subreddit wrote: 'Just remember everyone! Please be polite and appropriate towards both Harry and Zoë! This is NOT a space to be catty, petty, or misogynistic to Zoë!' This sentiment was echoed throughout his fanbase, who defended the relationship from nay-sayers in the comments.
'Teenage directioner in me is jealous but adult me is happy he found someone ?,' yourpetgoldfish commented on Reddit. 'So happy for him! I wish him a loooong and happy marriage and whatever his heart desires,' added GeneralBody4252. 'That said, I’m also hoping he decides to accompany his fiancée to the Met Gala, since she’s part of the committee this year…' The Met Gala is scheduled for Monday, May 4, with the Caught Stealing actress co-chairing the host committee alongside Anthony Vaccarello.
'Aww Harry ?. Wishing them a lifetime of happiness. ?,' said TheVisitorWithNoName. Some tried to joke that they 'give it a year' but were quickly shut down, with one person retorting: 'Imagine being this person instead of just being happy.'
Understanding Parasocial Relationships
Dr. David Giles previously discussed parasocial relationships with Metro: 'We often tend to think of parasocial relationships as the preserve of individual saddoes worshipping at a shrine in the bedroom. But the vast majority are probably as committed to the fandom as to the media figure – it would be hard for them to disassociate the two.' He explained that fanbases typically weed out extreme responses for the preservation of the group.
Overall, the romance has been met with excitement from Harry's fans, especially since Zoë's own fanbase has crossover. While Harry and Zoë have not publicly spoken about their rumored romance, the High Fidelity actress and One Direction singer have barely been apart since summer. Most photographed dates feature hand-holding and walks in various cities, as well as a first public kiss outside her hotel as he waved her off in a car. Zoë was adorably wearing Harry's merch—a cap with the word 'Kiss' emblazoned on the front, in honor of his latest number one album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.
