Okay, let’s get one thing out of the way: I do not wish that I had gotten engaged at the age of 19, like Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown recently did to boyfriend Jake Bongiovi, but that’s mainly because my pool of suitors at the time was pretty much limited to whoever hadn’t paired off yet at the frat party and wasn’t actively giving active “I will murder you, and there will eventually be a gripping campus documentary about your death” vibes. That being said, there is such a thing as true love at a young age, and if Brown and Bongiovi’s exceedingly adorable engagement photo on Instagram is any clue, they appear to have discovered it:
The image was captioned by Brown with the following: “I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, I want ’em all.” This leads me to believe that (1) she is a fan of Taylor Swift and (2) she has been with her paramour since she was 16 years old, which, I have to agree, is really adorable. Even though it’s easy to roll your eyes at teenagers who are in love (trust me, I do it all the time on the subway), there’s something endearing about reuniting with your high school sweetheart. This is especially true if you, like Brown, are an internationally famous actress who’s packed a lot of life into your almost twenty years on this planet.
Brown revealed to Wired that she had met Bongiovi over Instagram the previous year, recalling: “We were friends for a bit, and then…what can I say?” If Emma Chamberlain and her boyfriend Tucker Pillsbury are any indication, this appears to be the method that the young Hollywood set uses to meet each other these days. The two began texting one another before actually seeing each other in person. It is probably easier to get to know someone through social media or text than it is in the greenroom of Jimmy Kimmel Live! or the bathroom of some too-expensive restaurant in West Hollywood (I’m looking at you, Horses) or wherever else two celebrities might run into each other in person. I give my blessing to this practice, even though I don’t believe that literally any member of young Hollywood asked for it.The fact that Bongiovi is one of the four offspring of iconic rock hero Jon Bon Jovi is, of course, one of the subtle nepotistic aspects of the courting between Brown and Bongiovi. This is possibly the aspect of the relationship that I like best. Bongiovi is 21, only one year older than Brown, and it appears like he is pals with her friends (mainly based on this image of him hanging out with her Stranger Things costar Noah Schnapp), which is the definition of a green flag in my book. Bongiovi is just one year older than Brown. To paraphrase something I usually say, choose a partner who enjoys the same activities and people that you do, and vice versa. You won’t regret it (unless your friends suck, I guess). Mazel, you crazy kids!
