It’s been quiet the last couple of days on the Brad Pitt romance radar after his romance with model Nicole Poturalski first broke a week ago and we found out that they probably started dating nine months ago, and that she may or may not be in an open marriage, and she spent a few days with Brad at Chateau Miraval. Since then, Brad’s tried to redirect our attention to his new rosé champagne and with that, he and his team are likely hoping to dial down the heat, that with the long weekend coming up, people will move onto other stories. 

 

That’s kind of an old school celebrity way of managing things. And the problem with old school in this case is that the other player in the equation is new school. Nicole is 27 years old. She lives on social media. She isn’t of a generation that buys into the “make them miss you” way of working. Knowing that she’s a heatscore right now because of her association with him, she posted a new shot of herself on Instagram yesterday: 

And you know what else? She’s replying – to a LOT of people! Some of them are her friends, no doubt. But the point is…like many of her generation, she’s active, she’s checking, she’s watching her likes, she’s reading her comments, immediately; this is standard social media behaviour that celebrities don’t often like to reveal that they too participate in. To bring it back to Brad, it’s certainly not the kind of behaviour he’s usually associated with. 

 

Then there’s this tweet that I was tagged on: 

So… she’s enjoying the fact that some people are shipping her and Brad. Which is understandable. Social media is about feeding the ego and validation, especially for the cohort to which Nicole belongs. I don’t blame her for living by the Instagram creed – she’s 27 years old, what else would she live by?!

 

But how does that work where Brad Pitt is concerned? Is there a disconnect here? How does her thirst meet his “privacy”? In quotations there because Brad’s need for privacy doesn’t always seem consistent. 

Then again, he doesn’t have to look too far for a template for how this might work. There’s an example that’s been set for him already in Leonardo DiCaprio. 

Leo, by his age preferences, has already acclimated himself to the presence of social media in his romance. Camila Morrone maintains a steady presence on IG without involving or compromising him. So Brad can totally look to Leo for guidance on this. He’s part of the club now. Part of the posse, if you will. Or the pack, if it’s wolves and not pussies anymore. Leo can assure him. Like, bro, don’t worry, it’s all good. She just has to stop following fan accounts and learn to play it cooler, like my girl does. Isn’t dating in the age of Instagram so much fun?

Over the years, the entertainment media has always fixated on the friendship between Brad Pitt and George Clooney, perhaps believing the two to be closer than they actually are. Maybe it’s not George that Brad has more in common with though. Maybe it’s always been Leo.