CULTURE
The Rise of the TikTok Power Couple
By: Alexa Fabi, Senior Writer Edited by: Ava Pettigrew
What does love truly look like in the digital age? When we were younger, we dreamed of those magical meet cutes from rom-coms: locking eyes with the handsome stranger, smiling at each other flirtatiously, making an awkward joke, and exchanging numbers. Dating in the digital age feels like scrolling through an endless list of options that seem enticing, but often end up disappointing us. The convenience of online dating has its appeal, but there is nothing like the rush of meeting someone and instantly feeling that spark. Sifting through the sea of carefully procured dating profiles, I often ask myself: Has the art of romance died? As dating shows consume our streaming services, constantly pushing the narrative of “your soulmate is out there, you need to find them,” it feels like we're being forced to crave this seemingly unattainable thing. In 2024, chivalry can feel like an ancient relic, championed by apps like Tinder and Hinge that promise to deliver true love with a magical touch of a button.
In college, digital romance is ever-present and the dating pool is filled with people looking for casual hookups and fleeting one-night stands. It is chaotic and messy, and usually ends in disaster. While wanting something casual is not inherently wrong, it has become so common that it could be a dangerous pattern. Even with this in mind, there is an overwhelming yearning for an authentic connection. Every day on TikTok, there are videos of girls wishing they could find someone that meets their bare minimum standards. Ever heard the phrase, “the bar is in hell”? Well it certainly feels like it sometimes.
Just when I started feeling pessimistic about the revival of chivalry, a TikTok appeared on my feed, as if sent from a higher power. It was one of those “TikTok power couples” – like Lucky Blue and Nara Smith, or Campbell and Jett Puckett. Their love can be felt through the screen; it’s all-consuming, palpable, infectious, and touches the hearts of millions of users around the globe. While these couples may occasionally be wrapped up in a scandal or find themselves as the punchline of a joke, one thing you cannot dispute is their immense love for each other.
In a world where love stories tend to start with swiping and end in one-night stands, two couples came to the spotlight as the picture-perfect image of modern romance: Nara and Lucky Blue Smith, and Campbell and Jett Puckett. While these couples each have incredibly different niches, they have one thing in common: enviable lifestyles. Both couples stole their audience's hearts with their scroll-worthy, annoyingly adorable intimate moments. But why do we put them on such a pedestal? Our society is hungry for authenticity and these couples provide their audience with a sense of hope that even in a world where dating seems impossible, real love does exist.
Lucky and Nara are a young couple working as models in the fashion industry. Nara gained traction on TikTok last year as she became one of the first “trad-wives.” A little-known fact about the Smiths is that Lucky DM’d Nara on Instagram, which kickstarted their relationship, before they met each other in-person in Milan in 2019. If you asked me how I thought they met, I would have described a whirlwind love story with a beginning out of a romance movie. The way their relationship started makes this point all the more real. Lucky “sliding” into Nara’s DMs demonstrates how technology is reshaping the way we interact with each other. Maybe we really can find love that starts on an app.
Campbell, aka “Pookie,” and Jett Puckett are Tiktok’s “absolutely fire” couple. When Campbell started featuring Jett in her TikToks, viewers went wild when they saw how sweet and attentive Jett was towards her. What captured everyone’s attention was how he affectionately called her “Pookie.” Based on their videos, he seemed like the ultimate hype man that every girl wants in their corner. The couple live a luxurious lifestyle, traveling from destination to destination, eating at expensive restaurants, dressing head-to-toe in designer clothes, and most enviable of all, seeming genuinely happy together. “Pookie” and Jett met at a wine bar in 2016.“I walked up to the prettiest girl at a wine bar in Philadelphia [and] just started talking to her. Two days later we were inseparable,” Jett said in a TikTok. The couple was married within two years of first meeting each other and are expecting a baby later this year.
Many people find comfort in relatable content they see on social media. Regardless of whether you’re in a relationship, it’s reassuring to know that you are not alone in your feelings. Looking at other couples on TikTok can lead to harmful comparisons. “In the past, all it would take was one video to pop up on my feed that triggered my mind into endless comparing, overthinking, and self-hate,” says Allie, a student at MCC who is in a long term relationship. Allie spent a year swiping on the apps before she met her current boyfriend. Seeing these power couples on TikTok can evoke feelings of inspiration and motivation, but it can also perpetuate unrealistic expectations.
While we see straight couples represented on TikTok, there is a stark difference between the portrayal of straight and queer relationships that many people fail to understand. “When I look at straight relationships I feel a sense of, not even wanting to compare, because they are so different. I feel like straight relationships are more focused on sex whereas relationships between two women are more emotional and intimate,” says Amanda, a junior at American University. One example she used was TikTok-famous Alix Earle and her boyfriend, Braxton Berrios. “They’re going to the White Party, they’re going to the Dolphins game, to Coachella. I mean, who has the money for that?” Amanda says that her favorite TikTok couple is The Bellairs. Hallyn and Alli Bellair are a well-loved lesbian couple known for Alli’s comedy videos. “We can see ourselves in them, it is nice to be represented without asking for it.”
A lot of people compare themselves to the couples they see on TikTok, but forget that social media can be easily fabricated. “I think the moments that we don’t see are the ones that are the most special. I think that is what social media misses and creates unrealistic standards, in the sense of extravagance, spending money instead of time, intimacy, and admiration for your partner,” says Amanda.
These couples remind us that love in the digital age can be challenging and frustrating, while also offering us new avenues for connection. Traditional chivalry might feel like a memory of the past, especially when we observe that love can start with an Instagram DM or a hinge date. In this new era, we must hold onto the hope that real love still exists, even if it doesn’t look quite like the “Hallmark” romance of our imaginations.
