Is Megan Fox showing us how to soft launch a breakup? Maybe. Here’s what we learned.
Megan Fox recently deleted her Instagram – but not before leaving us speculating about her relationship status with fiancé Machine Gun Kelly.
“You can taste the dishonesty / it’s all over your breath,” Fox posted on Instagram, quoting lyrics from Beyoncé’s “Pray You Catch Me.” The post included a series of photos sans her beau; she removed some – but not all – photos of him from her Instagram before deleting it. Reports have since swirled around their relationship status.
The notion that Fox may have soft launched her breakup left people curious about the move – regardless of what transpired. Soft launching a breakup, experts say, isn’t necessarily a good or bad idea – it ultimately depends on what someone’s intention is behind their social media posts.
“You always have to be prepared for the unfavorable responses, or maybe the lack of response,” says Cecille Ahrens, a licensed clinical social worker at Transcend Therapy in California.
What social media teaches us about breakups
Eagle-eyed Instagram followers are used to scouring celebrity posts for clues about someone’s relationship. But they do it in their personal lives, too. Have they posted a picture with their boyfriend recently? Why has his wife not commented on his photos since last year?
“There’s this unwritten – almost expectation – to confirm on social media, whether you’re together or not still with this person,” Ahrens says. “Not that you have to, but I think it is kind of implied, because of our culture.”
This goes for celebrities and noncelebrities alike.
“Among noncelebrities, sudden breakups can be very disruptive to family, for example – with rippled effects for one’s parents, children or friend network,” says Maryanne Fisher, a psychology professor at St. Mary’s University in Canada. “So, a soft launch might be a way to gently signal that a breakup is coming, or at least that there is serious discord.”
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