It’s no secret that current ‘it’ couple Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner were not always so warmly received. Back in 2023, rumours that the Oscar-nominated actor and reality TV star were dating had the internet doing a double take; one viral post on X read “you cannot convince me that Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet are dating.” But, why was the news so shocking? From Prince Harry marrying actress Meghan Markle, to the phenomenon that is Pete Davidson’s dating history, the idea of an unlikely celebrity couple was hardly unprecedented. The answer is swag, the new metric of cultural capital, authenticity, and irony we’re using to rank desirability. Where attractiveness was once reduced to being hot or not, social media has made being hot seem less rare, and so culture has started to value something else – vibes.
It’s fitting then that confirmation of Chalamet and Jenner’s relationship came with their kiss at a Beyoncé concert, as the initial reaction to Beyoncé’s relationship with rapper Jay-Z charts this change perfectly. In the early 2000s, the prevailing tabloid narrative was that being older, less conventionally attractive, and coming from a background deemed unglamorous, Jay-Z was ‘punching above his weight’ with Beyoncé. Crucially, what the tabloids weren’t questioning was Jay-Z’s talent, cultural impact, or credibility within hip-hop – in other words, his swag.
Like Jay-Z, Chalamet’s swag is undeniable. The actor’s growing list of critically acclaimed roles, his endearing off-screen persona, hilarious videos from his time at LaGuardia High School, and ironic performances on Saturday Night Live have positioned him as a Hollywood success story grounded in Gen-Z relatability. Public perception of Jenner however has not been so kind; her rise to fame through reality TV and controversy around her use of plastic surgery have long damned her as inauthentic, with even her intelligence being questioned. There’s an overwhelming sense that Chalamet is in on the joke and Jenner is not.
Culture may have claimed to have moved on from looks, but that does not mean that judging celebrities by their swag is any less cut-throat. It’s hard to ignore the misogyny in the criticism of Jenner also. Regardless of any positive cultural reception, Chalamet’s image is just as meticulously styled as Jenner’s; women are still being punished more harshly for perceived inauthenticity than men are.
Recently though, the narrative seems to be changing for the Kardashian-Jenner clan. Spearheaded by Kim Kardashian studying to become a lawyer and her multiple acting collaborations with director Ryan Murphy, as well as the family’s increasing number of business ventures, their ambition does not show any sign of wavering. Last year, Jenner embraced the viral online resurgence of her rebellious teenage era – dubbed ‘King Kylie’ – by releasing a Kylie Cosmetics collection themed around the meme. What a way to be both in on the joke and reap its capital benefits.
The swag-based criteria being used to judge celebrities might not be progressive at all, but Jenner is navigating it with increasing fluency. The internet frenzy following herself and Chalamet’s appearance at the Golden Globe Awards this month says as much. If there was a swag gap between Chalamet and Jenner, it is rapidly closing.
Image by Alex Radelich on Unsplash.