One of the biggest talking points at the Golden Globes, the first official red carpet event of the year, wasn't an award snub or surprise, but rather the accessory on Zendaya's left ring finger.
A week earlier, on December 31st, pop star Dua Lipa posted a carousel on Instagram, holding a drink in her left hand with a thick gold band set with round diamonds. Photos were included. (Her last post was a rare photo of her flirting with actor Callum Turner. Romance rumors first surfaced in January 2024.)
And on January 1st, actress Chloë Grace Moretz posted a photo of her hand intertwined with that of her partner, model Kate Harrison, wearing a diamond ring. Moretz has kept her relationship with Harrison a secret, but rumors of their relationship spread after TMZ photographed the two in Malibu in December 2018.
None of these women have spoken publicly about their engagement. There were no flashy announcements or confirmations. However, this did not stop the Internet from going wild. Fan-generated editorials and headlines quoting testimonies from “anonymous sources close to the couple” were all over the internet.
Can a celebrity wear a ring on their ring finger without being stalked?
“Absolutely not,” said Moya Luckett, a media historian and professor of celebrity culture at New York University. It is unique to the digital media era. ”
From a public relations perspective, such speculation is not only expected, but desired. “If you're a celebrity, the press should be covering you,” says Anita Chatterjee, founder of New York-based firm A-Game Public Relations. “I would be concerned if one of my customers wore something like that and there was no speculation.”
Zendaya, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in Challengers, met her partner Tom Holland, who played the superhero, on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, with whom she co-starred. . as his love interest. The pair denied rumors that they were dating for years until paparazzi photos published by Page Six in July 2021 showed them kissing in a car. The couple shares few details about their relationship except for a few comments and posts on social media.
Some have speculated that the ring may be the work of jewelry designer Jessica McCormack, who also designed actress Zoe Kravitz's engagement ring. McCormack's website features a ring similar to the one Zendaya showed off at the Golden Globes. Ann Grimmett, vice president of merchandising at Jared Jewelers, said the ring Zendaya was wearing appears to be a 5-carat old mine cut worth about $120,000.
Dr. Luckett said last year he realized that for many celebrities, “luxury is about withholding yourself. You don't want to be too informed, and information shouldn't be available.” She added that this is a way for celebrities to build mystique and differentiate themselves from mediocre influencers.
“In some ways, the key person is Kylie Jenner,” Dr. Luckett said. “He went from being a ubiquitous presence to something like my relationship with Timothée Chalamet, which started from 'Either or not?'”
It's been a trend for celebrity couples to try to live a private life away from the public eye until they decide to throw a bone to their fans, but this is a new way to tell their life stories in the age of digital media. It's a strategy for control.
“Today, there is much more of this kind of citizen journalistic ethos. Everyone is free to comment,” Dr. Luckett said. On the other hand, information has emerged that previously there was “more of an organizational structure where studios, management, and news organizations worked together to control what.” ”
Take Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's engagement, for example. In the first effort in 2002, Lopez revealed the news in a television interview with Diane Sawyer, in a media ecosystem where information came from the top. The second time, Lopez made the revelation in a newsletter she shared on social media.
Chatterjee said celebrities are careful about what they say when opening up about their personal lives, and there is a strategy behind each message.
“We want to control the messaging, but we have time to say everything,” Chatterjee said. “You want to stay in the press, right? If she's really into it, this might be a good way to hint at it until she's ready to talk about it.”
Representatives for Zendaya, Ripa and Moretz did not respond to requests for comment. People magazine reported that an undisclosed family source confirmed Zendaya's engagement.
Not all celebrities are equally reticent. A month ago, Selena Gomez posted a dramatic social media post flaunting her marquise diamond ring and a caption about her engagement to record producer and songwriter Benny Blanco. They took the route of media exposure and started the engagement season.
The couple appeared at the Golden Globe Awards. Gomez has since appeared as a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and the topic of engagement has come up several times. But she looked visibly uncomfortable when Mr. Kimmel gave her “Daddy's Saddle” as an engagement gift.
