Why the world is surprised that Keanu Reeves' girlfriend is not in her 20s
The actor of great blockbusters like Matrix or the recent John Wick has made public his first relationship in years. And beyond the news, social networks have been filled with comments about the age and appearance (and not the career or life achievements) of his new girlfriend, Alexandra Grant, with whom Keanu Reeves shares work in addition to various artistic projects. , supportive and even editorial... and with whom he has probably been dating for three years. Why do we still care more about age than personality? And why does Hollywood continue to expect its biggest stars to date young women who meet brutal Western aesthetic standards?
Skip the news. After more than a decade without knowing him as a couple, and with memes about his absolute respect for women (which make him not want to hug them so as not to invade their personal space), Keanu Reeves has decided to attend the LACMA Art + Film gala in Los Angeles hand in hand with his new girlfriend, whose friendship has been forged for years - they work together - but whose relationship does not seem to have consolidated until this spring... although there are photos of them together dating back to 2016.
And here's the news: his girlfriend is not a stunning blonde actress in her twenties. She's also not an aspiring model to become a Victoria's Secret Angel. And not because neither of these two types of women are not valid, but because it is what everyone expects: that an attractive and successful actor choose as a life partner, even briefly (which does not seem the case), a young girl who fulfills with Western beauty canons (that it has an inner life or some discourse is absolutely secondary).
But, here's the shock, Keanu Reeves is 55 years old. And his girlfriend, Alexandra Grant, 46. This fact not only perpetuates the image of Keanu Reeves as the deep man who seems to have renounced the libertine lifestyle of celebrities, but has also opened a debate on why it continues to shock us that male movie stars pair up with people their own age.
And who is Alexandra Grant? Something can be known about her through her Instagram, @grantalexandra. It turns out that she has a brilliant career. She is an award-winning artist who has been creating art installations since 2011. She also illustrated Keanu Reeves's book Ode to happiness, the book he wrote about sadness and depression after the tragic events that have marked his life: In 1999, the baby she was expecting with her partner and personal assistant, Jennifer Syme, was stillborn, the couple separated and shortly after she died in a traffic accident.
In 2017, Keanu Reeves and Alexandra Grant decided to found a publishing house, X Artists' Books, focused on the art world, and soon after also a charity that they have both secretly run (and through which they have raised millions especially for children's hospitals). That said, why has this relationship raised so much interest? Here are some points we want to highlight:
1. Relationships between people of the same age are not normal in Hollywood. Especially if the one who is famous is the man. If it is true that the unconditional love of the public for Keanu Reeves has caused many of his followers to rejoice at his happiness, Alexandra Grant is attracting the same attention, or even more, but for a different reason: her age . Simply because of her gray hair, people have assumed that, in addition, she was older than him, implying on the one hand how "weird" this would have been (remember the cases of Madonna or Demi Moore?) and, on the other, that a 46-year-old woman cannot proudly wear gray hair. Aren't we perhaps too used to seeing women making an effort to pretend that time doesn't pass by them?
2. Sexism continues to affect all levels. First of all, and continuing with the previous argument, it is perfectly understandable that a man has gray hair and even wrinkles and that both things make him "interesting". However, the adjectives that are associated with a woman who "does not take care of her appearance" (her physical appearance) speak of her laziness, her neglect or even her lack of skills to cope with the stress that may have caused the premature appearance of gray hair . But at the same time, women are also blamed for "cheating" men (as if everything a woman does is aimed at satisfying them) through makeup, hair color, and cosmetic surgery. Conclusion: the problem is always women.
3. It's interesting, frustrating, and perhaps unavoidable that, while Grant is criticized and scrutinized for her age and her choice to wear natural hair (rather than the fact that she's a fascinating creator), Reeves, on the contrary, he receives universal praise for dating a woman "his age", even though that woman is still nearly a decade younger than he is.
4. The continued love of the public towards Keanu Reeves has only increased when it has been known who his partner is: it makes him a sweet, respectful boyfriend, not at all superficial and who follows his heart no matter what the tabloids say. Dating someone "age appropriate" squares perfectly with his reputation as a sensitive soul, which is the complete opposite of the image projected by actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, who has never had a girlfriend older than 25 (and all they look a lot alike) or Dennis Quaid, who at 65 has just announced that he is engaged to a student three times his age.
In any case, we love Keanu Reeves in all facets of him and we are immensely happy for his happiness as well as for that of his partner, Alexandra Grant.
