The Art of the Boyfriend ‘Soft Launch’
The first thing you’ll notice is that there are two wine glasses on my dinner table. Then one day I’m taking selfies on a couch you’ve never seen before. Then, a few weeks later, half an unfamiliar face shows up on my Instagram Story. Hopefully, you will read into these images and ask: Does Kaitlyn have a new boyfriend? And if all works out, I won’t have to bother making an official announcement about having a new boyfriend.
In the summer of 2020, the comedian Rachel Sennott on this odd, previously unnamed behavior: “Congrats on the instagram soft launch of ur boyfriend,” she tweeted. The joke went viral not because it was so funny but. We hint at the existence of new partners in a coy series of blurry or oddly cropped photos, feeling out whether the new relationship is going to last long enough to become a regular part of our online presence—and whether anyone is interested in learning more. It sounds cold and calculated, but what are we supposed to be? Reckless?
