Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, and the Fish Kiss No One Asked For

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello started dating shortly after the release of their collaborated song, “Señorita.” It is unknown if their relationship is valid or not, but Mendes claims that it is. According to an article posted by TMZ, Shawn and Camila have “seen the comments on social media from haters making fun of their makeout sessions — comparing them to fish sucking” (Staff, T. M. Z., 2019, p.2). In response to the allegations, Mendes and Cabello posted a video of them kissing in a rather disturbing way to prove that their relationship is real and that they don’t kiss like fish. Their relationship and responses demonstrate the Spotlight Effect and Behavioral Confirmation.

The spotlight effect is when one believes attention is focused on them more than it actually is when they demonstrate a certain behavior or are thinking about their appearance. Mendes and Cabello created an unsettling video by awkwardly licking each other’s faces. This came as a result of them feeling self-conscious about their public display of affection. Their kissing hasn’t made the news except for the outrageous one that they themselves posted. They were so concerned about their PDA that they believed everyone was watching how they kiss, thus illustrating the spotlight effect. They may not have received much attention for kissing before, but this kiss sparked the interest and attention from fans and other celebrities. 

Although some believe that the relationship is a publicity stunt for their new song and careers, the loyal fans are quick to stand by the couple. Behavioral confirmation is when society’s assumptions cause people to act out in ways that confirms others’ expectations of them. Mendes and Cabello demonstrate behavioral confirmation by acting how the fans want to see them. If the fans think that their relationship if true due to displays of affection, then the couple will deliver just that. This further pushes fans to see them both as a committed couple and not as a publicity stunt. Shawn wants his fans to believe in his relationship with Camila and the fans want a relationship to follow between the two of them. Both sides feed off of each other’s reactions and responses which shows that behavioral confirmation came into play.

Alexandria Glover

References

Bailey, A. (2019, September 20). Shawn Mendes Wants You to Know His Relationship With Camila Cabello Is ‘Not a Publicity Stunt’. Retrieved from https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a29122311/shawn-mendes-camila-cabello-kissing-date-fake-relationship-response/.

Murray, Tom. “Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello Shared an Instagram Video Showing ‘How We Really Kiss’ after People Accused Them of Kissing like Fish.” Insider, Insider, 12 Sept. 2019, https://www.insider.com/shawn-mendes-camila-cabello-share-video-how-they-really-kiss-2019-9. (picture)

Staff, T. M. Z. (2019, September 12). Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes Show Haters How They Really Kiss. Retrieved from https://www.tmz.com/2019/09/12/camila-cabello-shawn-mendes-kissing-fish-licking-twitter-haters/.

 

Skip to toolbar