When the Tea Is This Hot, You Can’t Help but Sip

As someone who has spent the better part of the past 22 days away from social media (thank you, Opal app), I have to say I picked a truly unhinged week to check back in. I opened Instagram and immediately felt like I’d missed several chapters of a very loud book. The Blake Lively / Justin Baldoni situation had escalated straight into the text messages, Brooklyn Beckham had turned his Instagram Story into a family tell-all, Taylor Swift was somehow involved (of course), and everyone seemed extremely confident about which side they were on.

What surprised me is that, after catching up, I didn’t feel the urge to dogpile Justin Baldoni the way I expected to. Truthfully, I’ve kind of always been on his side — not in an “I don’t believe women” way, but in a harder-to-explain, this doesn’t sit right with me way. The kind of feeling you clock early but can’t fully articulate without sounding like you’re about to start a sentence with “I don’t know, it’s just a vibe…”

If anything, Blake Lively’s energy doesn’t land for me. She exudes a kind of mean girl confidence that isn’t just cringeworthy on paper (see: her letter to the PGA board), but shows up in subtle power moves and perfectly timed charm. The kind you’ve probably encountered at work, at school drop-off, or in a group chat you eventually muted for your own mental health.

Then Taylor Swift entered the chat, which added a whole other layer. When someone’s brand is built around calling things out, advocating for women, and naming unfair power dynamics, people notice when the behavior feels misaligned. That doesn’t erase the good, but it does make the whole thing a little harder to swallow.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn Beckham’s Instagram Story was doing something else entirely. Less polished. Less strategic. Just raw, public, and impossible to unsee. Different situation, same energy: carefully curated images cracking in real time, with no PR buffer in sight.

What I actually appreciate is that none of this is being quietly swept under the rug. People are allowed to question dynamics now. To say something feels off without being accused of betraying womanhood or missing the point entirely.

And yes — it’s entertaining. I’m not above admitting that. But it’s also revealing. Watching who gets defended, who gets dismissed, and who is suddenly untouchable says a lot about how power still works, even in spaces that claim progress.

Celebrities aren’t messier than they used to be. We’re just not willing to play along the same way anymore. The tea is piping hot, and for once, it feels like it’s actually saying something.