The lure of Hollywood stars is such that every look exchanged and every ride together is recorded and analyzed, the closest of friendships can escalate into an unfolding romance. This week, it’s the Colombian force whose every move seems to be scrutinized, Shakira. So the latest media frenzy is over none other than Mexican actor Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, who is best known to world fans for his on-screen presence in the Jurassic World franchise. After spotting the pop star outside one of L.A.’s most popular celebrity haunts, fans and gossip columnists have all been wondering, again, whether Shakira is up for it.
The picture that incinerated the internet was a simple one, but highly personal. The actor and singer were snapped at the famed Sunset Tower Hotel which is synonymous with both old Hollywood glamour and modern day power meetings. The images, disseminated first on celebrity gossip website DeuxMoi and then on social media, show the two of them laughing together. They wore matching colors – black – and looked natural, unlike the many public faces that are at least as stiff as a board and seem more like they are in a rehearsal than a real relationship. But it wasn’t only their shared smiles that were the most telling detail, it was also that they could be seen getting inside a car together, with Garcia-Rulfo driving and Shakira sitting in the passenger seat. It was like a series of events that seemed to follow a natural progression and part of a nice evening, and a thing so commonplace and so abundant in significance.
This outing took place amidst an energetic backdrop of Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, which itself has been a strong symbol of artistic renaissance after the turbulent period she went through. The singer is just coming off two electrifying shows in Los Angeles and is celebrating her resilience around the world. In this context, the sighting is even more interesting, and this is a woman who is very visible in the world’s most significant moments but also creates opportunities for her personal life, which has stayed largely under the radar of her professional engagements. The sharp contrast between the fiery and defiant vibe she gives off at her shows and the seemingly relaxed and cheerful attitude in these paparazzi shots is an interesting look at the dual life that she currently lives.
A Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, on the other hand, is no stranger to the rigors of global celebrity and stardom, and his journey to fame has been a rather unique one. He’s a big fish in a big pond, and has dealt with the pressures of the Hollywood machine without tipping too many fingers into his own personal pond. His relationship with Shakira, even if it’s platonic, puts him in a different league of public attention. The combo is a fascinating one; Latin American artists who have wrought international success in music and film. The fans have been quick to draw parallels between the two, noting how aesthetically beautiful and culturally similar the two are and how they could form a power couple that reaches across continents.
This is a new story in Shakira’s romantic journey, following a deep period of public healing. Her focus shifted from the football field to the tabloids and social media, where rumors of infidelity with Spanish forward Gerard Pique swirled around and captured the world’s attention. This is not just a breakup, it’s a very public breakup, and the singer used the heartbreak as fuel for the cathartic, chart-topping album that’s the name of her current tour. From that low point to the moment they are captured with a new partner in their arms, as they laugh, is an amazing transformation and a testament to the human spirit’s strength. The public’s fascination is not only being celebrity gossip, but it’s also an underlying sense of hope that we are watching a woman who has been in the public eye for much of her life, who has gone through a devastating betrayal and come out the other side, maybe primed to move on to some other connection.
But as in any story made in the era of virals, it’s important to think about the value we give to a brief moment. A shared laugh and a ride in a car was enough to validate an intense and romantic bond, or was it just two colleagues and good friends enjoying a night out in a city where such things were commonplace? The Internet is merciless with its desire for romance and fills in the gaps. We see a smile, we see a love story; we see a departure, we see a new beginning. The truth, of course, is more complicated and for the time being, it’s a personal issue between two people.
This is an indication of the bizarre dichotomy of the privacy and the business of the celebrity star. We have a stake in the lives of people whose lives we admire, we feel like their happiness or lack of it is our business. We felt it when Shakira was in tears, and now she looks like she is happy, we want to share it with her. But, when you see a small number of grainy pictures, there is a danger of imposing too much meaning on them. It’s different taking the public trip of a happy spirit and different to write a definitive romantic narrative in the absence of specifics.
