I had a really good laugh yesterday around noon when this popped up on Jennifer Lopez’s Instagram: photos from her engagement, like literally. Like from the exact moment Alex Rodriguez proposed to her. Because it was so spontaneous there happened to be a photographer there capturing not just one but several perfect pictures:
ARod, of course, ever prepared, is wearing his World Series ring. He’s also pretty much the star of all of these shots since we can only see her back. Which means he’s getting the best light. On brand. All of it is on brand. Before we go any further though, the presence of the photographer isn’t unique to them. Most of the bigs these days are documented 24/7 by choice, preserving every moment of their lives. Beyoncé, as we all know, has been building her own library for almost two decades. At the Oscars a couple of weeks ago, I watched Lady Gaga followed by a personal camera, the only star on that carpet with their own dedicated professional cameraperson as part of their entourage. Before all of them, of course, there was Madonna with Truth or Dare. Every popstar now has their own version of Truth or Dare. Taylor Swift’s is less “produced”, but as we saw with the release of reputation and all those videos of her showing us her work and the work of songwriting, she’s just shooting it on her own, and there’s a lot more footage she’s still saving.
Now back to JRod and this engagement – it happened, as she tells us, on March 9, Saturday, in the Bahamas. Two days ago, Jose Canseco came out of nowhere and tried to f-ck it up. As I wrote in that post, it’s a sh-t vs diarrhoea situation because ARod comes with some stains, he’s still more credible than someone like Jose. That said, Jennifer Lopez has shown us that she can be as blinded by love as much as she loves love.
JLo and Arod have now returned from their trip. Here they are, arriving in Florida yesterday. Remember her at the Oscars? Remember Duana’s post about how, at the Oscars, our Photo Assumption read was that she didn’t seem to be glowing as much as we’re used to seeing from her? If JLo is famous for anything, it’s that glow. I’m Photo Assuming again that the glow is still missing. Like, yeah, sure, there’s maybe some irritation on her face because of the presence of the paps. But also, this woman knows how to punch up a narrative, she knows how to give it good in the presence of a camera, she’s used to being on camera. She knows the engagement is a big story. And still, I can’t find the glow. Just me? If it’s not just me, why has it been muted…and when is it coming back?