Latest news with #modernrelationships


Geek Feed
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Feed
Trailer for NEON's Splitsville is a Silly Take on Open Marriages
Besides new views on the LGBTQ+ movement, there has also been new progressive thoughts on modern relationships, and more people are hearing about open marriages
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Materialists' filmmaker Celine Song on being critical, not cynical about romance in movie with Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal
Celine Song's "Materialists" is a unique take on the rom-com, a film that really breaks down the fantasy of the genre. Starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal, it's unlike any other romance movie you've seen before. Speaking to Yahoo Canada Toronto, Song talked about the "dehumanization" and "commodification" of dating. Additionally, she spoke about how her cast was able to resonate with being "merchandise" to be "sold for the highest price." I'm probably not someone you want to date because the next person I date I'm gonna marry. Are you hitting on me? I think it would be really easy to make something like this really cynical about love that would be like a really easy road to go down, but what you do is really play with like these fantasies that we get to see in rom-coms and these fantasies that we have about love life and what did you think about just in terms of being able to be critical but not being cynical? Well, I think that that really is at the heart of like what it's like to love in the modern world. In general, I feel like that contradiction is a part of like all of our lives because there are so many reasons to be cynical and there's so and it's easy to be cynical and I think that it's kind of like we're surrounded by it and it's uh and it's cooler to be cynical. So I think there's such a pool to think of love in a cynical way, but I think that on the other hand, there is this a very powerful thing that is an ancient mystery. That has been something that uh you know they say it's uh makes life worth living right there's so much of it when it comes to love and the power of love it's the one that endures and that's gonna be a part of us as the human beings for the rest of the rest of the human beings so I think it really that contradiction between the cynical and the romantic has to be a part of any story about love, especially. If it intends to have something to say about the way we love in 2025, right? So I think that it really came from the necessity of that and it's the way that, you know, and I think depending on who's watching the movie we're gonna have a different relationship to the it's cynicism and it's romanticism. I think when we kind of see without spoiling what happens in the movie but see something, you know, really tragic happen with Lucy's clients, but I do think that. As a basic concept, the take the second that you start kind of dehumanizing things, tragic consequences are going to happen, which is what we see and what did you just think about in terms of being able to really use that moment to kind of be that reflection of the kind of consequences of dehumanization. It is inevitable, right? Because after all this like commodification or objectification of ourselves and each other at first it feels like, well we're just playing a game, right? Well, in pursuit of love, but we're. Actually just playing this game, this dating game, and then the truth is that once you have uh thoroughly commodified and objectified ourselves and each other and there's uh and part of that is going to inspire a lot of self hatred and a lot of self uh failure to accept oneself, which is something that Lucy deals with whether she's willing to face it in the beginning of the film or not. And then of course uh the end of objectification, any objectification of a person is uh going to be uh dehumanization. And that's what you see happen to Sophie and Sophie is somebody who has the probably the most important line in the whole film where she goes, I'm not merchandise, I'm a person. And to me that's the running theme of the whole film. It's about how all of us in the face of love in the face of this uh beautiful. ancient, impossible mystery, this miracle, right? It's the one way that the miracle still exists. Love is a miracle. So in the face of miracle, uh, in pursuit of this miracle, I think that you have to be able to say, well, just for me to even dream of that miracle, I'm not merchandise, I'm a person. Dakota is really interesting in this because I think she does such a phenomenal job just on kind of surface, but I think it's interesting watching her in this role of someone who is looking at kind of her self-worth and her self value because I think the thing that we all know walking into this is that she has a big family legacy in Hollywood and the the concept of having attention put on her. What did you kind of talk to her about just in terms of getting into this character that is a bit of a chameleon? Well, I think that is exactly this she has uh I think that all of us understand this as a modern person as in like, well you're you're a woman on a job or you're sometimes you're a woman in your private life, but so much of it you have to be a chameleon as you move through these spaces. And you have to be different kinds of fantasies and and realities for so many different people in your life and I think the question always comes well but then who am I? What is the thing that I actually value and I think that's so important that what you're talking about when it comes to uh this idea uh that I'm not merchandise I'm a person, which is something that I think all actors understand because so much of their work is their humanity, right? And you just get to the audience looks at their humanity. On display, on screen, and then they of course will objectify, commodify and judge it, right? They'll be like, they'll watch it on the phone, they'll be like, uh, you know, or like, good, you know, whatever it may be. And I think that all of Dakota, Chris and Pedro, they all understand in their own way what it's like to feel like merchandise, as you can imagine. So when the conversation about the movie with them is about how they're not merchandise but they're people and I was of course meeting them as people. Part of that is that you know like they understand and feel passionate about the movie uh from the get go because they understand that it's their world and I think that you're pointing to exactly the thing that is something that Dakota and I were talking about so much we were talking about how yeah but uh the surfaces, the the way that it's all seems there's a way that it all gets packaged into a thing that people can buy and consume and we turn ourselves into merchandise right and so that we can get sold for the highest price. Right, and of course that's where all the Botox and all the way that we are supposed to improve our value and I think that that was really at the center of what Dakota and I talked about, but the guys too guys understand so completely it's like to feel like a merchandise like you know Chris Chris or Pedro, um, there's a Chris and Pedro the merchandise, right? And then of course there's Chris and Pedro, the people, and every day, uh we're showing up to work, all four of us, uh talking about the people. The persons that we are, tell me a little bit about the collaboration with your cinematographer because I think that I love the, the kind of visual language of this film. What's amazing about working with Shabbi Krishna, my, uh, DP, is that, well, he and I, we worked on past lives together, which was the one other movie I made was my first movie. And uh, so because we already made a movie together and that collaboration was so amazing that my second movie we already. How to share language. So my one of my favorite things about uh making this movie was to shortlist with Shabier. We were talking through the entire movie and we made it in our minds uh visually already before we even uh rolled on day one. So I think that, you know, like we're and we're also dreaming it together in that way. We're talking about what the story is, what the focus is, and what I really love most about working with Shai. is that the storytelling is always going to be the um way that the camera moves. The storytelling is going to be the focus of the camera and then the way it moves, the way we lens, it's never going to be just about uh getting the prettiest shot. It's always gonna be about, yes, but what's happening with the character? And of course the character is, of course the three people on the poster, but it's also everybody else and it's also background, but it's also New York City. And it's really about also capturing the city that uh we all love um just as a way to really uh reveal it and to really show it. And I think so much of the conversation about how to capture it visually is about the revelation. And uh the way that we love it and liking a liking a thing and loving a thing is a different thing, right? Like uh loving a thing is also about loving the uh the darkest corners of it too, and that also applies to my characters, you know, the way that sometimes we wanna uh shoot my actors as these characters in a way where we are in love with them and not just like them, but just to really see them fully.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Keith Sweat Stands Behind 'Entitled' Women Remarks With A Little Help From Kendrick Lamar
Keith Sweat is standing firm on his recent comments about modern relationships and the roles women play within them—despite facing heavy backlash from critics labeling his views as outdated and 'misogynistic.' The R&B legend took to Instagram on Monday (June 9) to both reaffirm and clarify his stance, doing so with a bit of rhythm and reinforcement from none other than Kendrick Lamar. In a video post, Sweat is seen grooving to Kendrick's 'Peekaboo' from the GNX project, brushing off the criticism with a carefree caption. 'We ain't worried about nothin the haters gotta say,' he wrote. 'Enjoy Life.' The post was a not-so-subtle response to growing criticism over remarks Sweat made during a recent live show, where he addressed what he perceives as a rising trend of 'entitled' women who aren't willing to contribute equally in relationships. 'You got to bring something to the table to get something for me,' Sweat told the crowd in the now-viral clip. 'I can't help it. They don't want to cook no more.' He continued, emphasizing his self-sufficiency:'I wash my own clothes, iron my own clothes. Gotta do something for me.' The clip sparked debate online, with many accusing the Harlem-born singer of unfairly stereotyping women. But Sweat returned to social media to clarify his perspective. 'Yall tripping I cook and clean and I don't have too,' he wrote in the comments. 'What's the problem I said a lot of women don't even do what I do.' He further explained, 'If you don't fall into that category why yall trippin still love yall anyway back to doing my dance.' In a follow-up message aimed at settling the dust, Sweat reiterated that his original comments were never meant as a blanket statement. 'I didn't say all I said a lot of women not all yall need listen lol,' he added. While his delivery has struck a nerve with some, others have applauded the veteran singer for voicing what they see as an increasingly common sentiment among men navigating modern dating dynamics. Whether fans agree or disagree, Keith Sweat is making one thing clear: he's not backing down from speaking his truth—and he'll dance through the criticism if he has to. See Keith Sweat's Instagram post below. More from Kendrick & SZA's Grand National Tour Cements How They're Two Sides Of The Same Coin Kendrick Lamar Gave Ray Vaughn This Advice For His Battle With Joey Bada$$ SiR Claims Drake, Kendrick Lamar Beef Resulted In Toronto Concert Cancellation


Forbes
17-05-2025
- General
- Forbes
Modern Romantic Men Are Making Love Last, With Science And Soft Power
An image of a loving couple, their silhouettes filled with red and black circles. (Photo by Alfred ...) Wired for instant gratification, emotional distancing and algorithm-driven dating, modern relationships often unfold in a climate of disconnection. But a quiet evolution is underway, and the men leading it aren't just the loudest or most performative. They're the most emotionally fluent. Modern romantic men are disruptors by design. Backed by decades of psychological research, he challenges outdated models of masculinity through presence, attunement and emotional agility. He listens without defensiveness, connects without distraction and loves without the need for spectacle. This man isn't defined by grand gestures or rigid gender scripts. He is emotionally intelligent, digitally mindful and relationally aware. He adapts, attunes and leads with empathy, not ego. And in doing so, he's not only reshaping romance but quietly raising the standard for what intimacy in 2025 can be. Here's what research has to say: A growing body of research confirms that emotional intelligence (EQ)—the ability to recognize, manage, and express emotions—is no longer optional for sustaining modern love. It's paramount. A 2023 meta-analysis in Personality and Individual Differences found that higher EQ predicts stronger partner support, better sexual intimacy and lower conflict across long-term relationships. In simpler terms, men who understand emotional literacy can cultivate more profound, reciprocal love. Gone are the days when stoicism equaled strength. Today's emotionally intelligent man doesn't shy away from vulnerability; he leans into it. He names what he's feeling, acknowledges his partner's emotional world and responds with attunement instead of reactivity. In short, this is about being emotionally skillful and multifaceted. In a relational economy, EQ is high-value capital. Modern romance does not have built-in highlight reels. It's rooted in the daily rhythm of intimacy, cueing small acts, tender noticing and sustained effort. A 2024 study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that emotional responsiveness in daily interactions predicted long-term satisfaction more than physical attraction or economic stability. The science affirms what heart-forward lovers have always known: consistency builds safety. Thoughtfulness builds trust. A man who remembers his partner's love language and acts on it consistently, whether it's affirming words, a gentle back touch or making their favorite tea after a hard day, creates a deeper emotional imprint than a surprise trip ever could. This is the new art of romance: presence, not simply performance. We live in a world of infinite digital touchpoints, but intimacy often suffers in the scroll. While tools like voice memos, video dates and shared Spotify playlists can deepen connection, they can also create emotional noise. A 2023 analysis in Computers in Human Behavior found that "technoference" (interruption of interpersonal interactions due to digital devices) directly correlates with partner resentment, reduced sexual satisfaction and increased loneliness in cohabiting couples. The most romantic men of today know this. They don't just silence their phones. They show up. Fully. They pause notifications, put their device away, offer eye contact and prioritize presence above all. And it goes without saying that when a lover turns off distractions to tune into their partner, it goes beyond just a courteous act. It's full-stop erotic. Indeed, digital mindfulness, in 2025, is foreplay. Conflict is not a threat to love but an invitation to expand it. Dr. John Gottman's research at The Gottman Institute shows that couples who embrace conflict as a pathway to understanding rather than a battleground experience greater longevity and emotional intimacy. In fact, his world-renowned "Four Horsemen" model predicts relationship dissolution with 90% accuracy based on how partners fight. Men who enter conflict with curiosity, humility, self-awareness and a willingness to repair aren't weak. They're relational warriors. They know when to apologize, when to stay silent, when to say, "Tell me more." They resist defensiveness and pursue reconnection. Contemporary research challenges the outdated notion that masculinity requires emotional suppression. In fact, psychological science now affirms that vulnerability, a willingness to express internal experiences openly, is a fundamental marker of relational intelligence and psychological resilience. Dr. Brené Brown, a leading researcher in social work and emotional well-being, defines vulnerability as "emotional risk, exposure and uncertainty." Thus, far from being a liability, studies have suggested that this kind of emotional transparency fosters trust, deepens connection and enhances relationship satisfaction. Men who are willing to articulate their fears, disappointments and aspirations activate neural pathways associated with empathy and co-regulation, creating a sense of emotional safety in their partnerships. This bidirectional openness generates what psychologists call mutual attunement, a dynamic where both partners feel seen, supported and psychologically safe. The result is not only greater intimacy but also improved conflict resolution, emotional resilience and long-term relational health. In this light, vulnerability is not only a trait but a strategic one, signaling adaptability, emotional maturity and secure attachment. The emotionally intelligent man isn't just liked or admired. He IS trusted. And in today's relational landscape, trust is the rarest and most potent form of attraction. Romance should be an invitation, not simply reserved for holidays or significant moments, but a devotion: a choice made daily in how one shows up, listens, speaks, touches, communicates and stays. Modern romance is conscious. It's co-created. It asks men to lead not by dominating but by attuning. By healing the parts of themselves that once feared intimacy. By shedding outdated stories about what love should look like and writing new ones rooted in mutuality, safety and joy. To the modern romantic man: you are not behind. You are on time. And the way you love deeply, bravely and intentionally might be the future of healthy conscious love itself.