The celebrity relationship cycle may taketh (the Internet misses you, Ariana and Pete) but it also giveth: Gigi Hadid just posted an Instagram with Zayn Malik. Yes, Gigi and Zayn shared a full on, lovey-dovey, couples selfie to her millions of followers. In it the model wore a white collared shirt as a bare-chested Zayn snuggled up behind her. “Flyin home to my happy place,” she wrote, adding a heart emoji.
Yes, it wasn’t exactly a secret that they were together. Zayn has popped up on Gigi’s Instagram stories before. This August, they were spotted together in New York City—with Hadid wearing a “Zayn” necklace.
But this is the first time they’ve posted about their rekindled relationship on Instagram proper—a permanent post left hanging on the grid for the world to see. (Sister Bella Hadid, too, followed a similar formula when handling her rekindling with The Weeknd; first, there was photographed outings and cryptic social media stories, and then the Weeknd posted a 10-picture slideshow for Bella Hadid’s birthday.)
So yes, both were big reveals: two of the world’s most in-demand models, back together with two of the world’s most in-demand performers. But they also seem less big of a deal when there’s been so many bread crumbs, over so many months, left to follow. Among their collective fanbases, was there really anyone who didn’t think Gigi and Zayn, or Bella and The Weeknd, were back together?
Perhaps that’s the point. In a day and age where celebrities are incessantly followed—by paparazzi, yes, but also anyone with a camera phone—maintaining a “secret” relationship is harder and harder to do. And sometimes, the more you hide, the greater the frenzy can grow.
So there’s something to be said about the gradual reveal, one that allows a certain degree of privacy while simultaneously allowing the world slowly in on your little secret. And think of all the Instagram likes! That’s just the icing on the cake.
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This article first appeared on Vogue.com
