Something unusual happened to me yesterday, quietly, the moment I tapped open Instagram. A smile with that first scroll – a familiar happiness, but for two people I never have, or will, meet. Here goes: I am genuinely buzzing for the thinking person’s Kardashian, Kourtney, and Travis Barker. And if you’re reading this, deep down, you are too.

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Anyone who has used the internet since Sunday night will know that Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker announced their engagement in typically curated Kardashian style: thousands of red roses; picture perfect money shot; a frankly spectacular ring. The celebrity marriage proposal optics sliced through pop culture with a bullseye the second they appeared. Hours later, A-list meta-surveillance platform @commentsbycelebs cited: “In our experience of having this account, the only event that has elicited this volume of overwhelmingly positive DM response has been Brad and Jen hugging backstage at the SAG Awards. The collective public excitement is palpable.” I knew this one had hit different. Sweet digital validation.

Superior jokes and memes aside, the world really is rooting for this couple – even those of us usually unbothered by news generated by reality TV’s first family. Kim took a successful turn hosting SNL? Cool. Kylie is pregnant again? Good for her. Kourtney said yes to Travis on a beach, at sunset, surrounded by candles (him wearing Breton stripes!)? We unapologetically love this journey for them both.

Which begs one resounding question: Why? How has “Kravis,” going about its standard business and certainly not reinventing the wheel of Instagram attention grabbing, captured the zeitgeist so sharply? Some thoughts below.

Relatively speaking, they’re underdogs 


Whilst undeniably the most memorable and attractive Blink-182 member (you know it’s true) as the band’s drummer, Travis Barker was never the frontman. As for Kourt? Two words: Kim Kardashian. In their romantically separate former lives, “Kravis” didn’t demand pole position in the spotlight, which makes them all the more worthy as one entity now.

They’re “old friends”

If this year has taught us anything at all, it’s the power of a celebrity pairing with a backstory (looking at you, Bennifer). “Kravis” may claim platonic friendship until the start of this year, but whatever – who doesn’t love a little insinuated history?

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They DGAF about sharing the fact they F non-stop

The couple’s close friends, Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly, may have dominated headlines with their love story and being confused by the scent of weed, not to mention antics on AirBnB dining tables, but their level of oversharing only serves to make TMI social posts via “Kravis” classier and therefore acceptable by comparison. It just does. We don’t make the rules.

They don’t take it all too seriously

No, seriously. “Kravis” understands that as a celebrity relationship announcement, theirs was unexpected, aesthetically speaking. In response, they approve of the respectful satire. Case in point: @BennyDrama’s anarchic Kourtney to which she replied “its the widows peak for me 🤘🏼” followed by Travis’s, “I wanna mosh 😂 .”

 

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A post shared by Benito Skinner (@bennydrama7)

They epitomize hope

Following the chaos and survival of 2020 after a long term on-off relationship with Scott Disick, being treated like a post-90s era punk-rock princess is everything Kourtney deserves, and more. There isn’t enough black nail polish on the planet to darken these optimistic days sunshine after the rain vibes – hopefully, to use her own caption, “forever.”

 

This story originally appeared on ELLE UK

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