With the Internet, social media, and so many gossip TV shows, the public is basically bound to know about a celebrity’s relationship or marriage. With the exception of Beyonce and Jay-Z, who keep their married life pretty private, we find out about so many domestic disputes and every argument and rough patch a couple goes through. We’re following Brad and Angelina as they finally tie the knot. We’re tuned in to Seal and Heidi’s divorce. People made bets on how long Kim and Kris would last, and they’re doing the same with Kim and Kanye. This weekend, Chad Johnson and Evelyn Lozada had a domestic dispute, just one month after they got married. Although these people are celebrities and always in the public eye, think about how much the people who know you (or even don’t know you know) know about your marriage.
People are so quick to post things on Facebook, tweet when something’s going on between them, or blog about it. Someone asked me how do I know when to draw the line about things I share on my blog. I admit, I’m pretty candid for the most part. I tell you guys a lot of things, but one rule I always keep is to never disclose something that would hurt me if someone were to use it against me. My marriage is exactly that: my marriage. It goes back to what I was saying last week: your opinion is the only opinion that matters in your marriage.
So what is okay to share? What’s not okay to share? I think it’s great to share good things in your marriage, especially because marriage gets such a bad rap nowadays. A lot of people, including people who are still married, only have negative things to say about marriage. It makes you think “I wonder what’s going on”. But if you share the good things going on, people can see a positive view of your marriage. For example, I love that one blogger shares things she loves about her husband on a weekly basis. It’s a nice peek into their world.
Then there’s reality shows. There’s rumors of there being a curse when you share your life and marriage to that extent (remember Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey?) Olympian Sanya Richards-Ross and her NFL hubby Aaron Ross just landed a reality TV deal with WeTV. Some people are concerned that this may put a strain on their marriage because it’s letting too many other people in.
I think it’s good to let people know some parts of your marriage, because it can help someone in need. You never know what your words and experiences can do for someone. On the other hand, you never know when someone can use those things against you.
What do you think? How private are you about your relationship? Do you think celebrities deserve some privacy in their relationship or do they forfeit that right when they become celebs?
I am a pretty candid person too, but I’ve learned what to share about my relationship through trial and error, mostly error to be quite honest. It was mainly when I was venting to close friends and family, but I learned the hard way that my vent can make someone totally not like my husband (this was before we were married). Their opinion was valid b/c they only heard the times when he was a bonafide a$$hole, not all the amazing wonderful sweet things he did. I took that forgranted and now, I’m selective to the extreme when I share certain aspects of my marriage. If it ain’t positive and it’s not a trusted friend who UNDERSTANDS I am venting then I keep it to myself. He’s a great man and husband, I don’t want to take that away from him when I’m pissed and need to let off some steam.