It was also while she was experiencing her own heartbreaking fertility issues. Dwyane Wade fathered a child while they were “on a break” from their relationship in 2013. In her latest memoir, You Got Anything Stronger?, Union details the choppy waters the article is referring to. These Black couples become everything to project hopes, dreams and unrealistic aspirations onto because they are the exceptions, the chosen few representing Black love when seeing two Black people in love is still so rare onscreen. And for the “representation matters” set, #RelationshipGoals is another way to see Black people shine in an industry that attempts to dim their light every chance it gets.
So when Black couples simply stay together, they’re not only beating the imaginary odds, they’re also gaming a system designed for them to fail. Studios have been coupling up their leads to sell movies since Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Hollywood unions are also great for business.
And the stereotype is that Black marriages also don’t last (yes, the divorce rate is slightly higher in Black marriages, but not by much, and Black women are actually getting married less, if at all). Hollywood marriages are notoriously short-lived. For Black celebrity couples, “relationship goals” come with added expectation - and adoration. Influencers chase the honor to be revered by single people as the gold standard of partnership while certain celebs seem to fall into the distinction by doing the bare minimum: seeming to treat their romantic partner with love and respect or, you know, just by being hot and there.