Concern has been raised by fans since 18-year-old pop star Olivia Rodrigo has gone public with 24-year-old boyfriend Adam Faze.
Rodrigo went public with Faze, a Hollywood producer and the co-founder of the production company Must B Nice, in July, just a month after Rodrigo’s high school graduation. Reports suggests they have known each other for years as friends, but fans worry about the couple’s age gap and power dynamics.
This fan points out that Olivia Rodrigo isn’t the only young woman in the entertainment industry dating an older man. 19-year-old Pop star Billie Eilish is dating 29-year-old Matthew Tyler Vorce and actress Millie Bobby Brown was also previously reported to be dating 20-year-old Tiktok star Hunter Echo, when she was just 16.
Other fans have pointed out that this trend of young women dating older men in the entertainment industry isn’t new. This Tiktok features many young female singers in the industry who dated older men and the respective songs wrote about the relationships, typically with a sad tone about the experience.
One of these pop stars featured in the Tiktok is Taylor Swift who dated 32-year-old John Mayer when she was just 19. Swift later wrote the song ‘Dear John’ which featured the famous line: ‘Dear John, I see it all now that you’re gone / Don’t you think I was too young to be messed with?
Some Fans Have Defended the Relationship
Despite the critism, some fans have defended the couple citing that the relationship is legal and Rodrigo is old enough to make her own choices.
This twitter user says ‘yes grooming is a thing but not every situation is the same.’
This fan argues ‘you don’t get to decide for them what is acceptable.’
There seems to be a constant cycle of young women in the entertainment industry dating older men, who are often in positions of power over them. As this twitter user summarizes: ‘there needs to be a conversation about protecting young girls coming of age in the music industry.’
Rodrigo herself has not made any comments about the relationship or the criticism that it has garnered online. She is also yet to post anything about the relationship on social media. Whether you agree with the couple’s relationship or not, only time will tell the outcome of the relationship between the young star and producer.
Want to read more on pop music? Read about Lorde’s new single ‘Solar Power‘.
