Strangers on the internet may be taking issue with Anna Camp's new relationship, but the actress recently took to Instagram to defend the age gap between her and her new girlfriend.
The 42-year-old Pitch Perfect star went red carpet official with 24-year-old Jade Whipkey last week for the premiere of Camp's new film, Bride Hard. The relationship also marks Camp's coming out as queer, as she has previously only been romantically linked to men.
Publications were quick to cover the cute pics of the two, including Pink News. The outlet shared a simple, non-judgmental clip of Camp and Whipkey posing, noting, "Anna Camp has made her red carpet debut with girlfriend Jade Whipkey just a month after confirming their relationship."
A number of the comments focused on the 18 year age gap.
"I'm in my mid 30s and I can't imagine having the necessary common ground to start a relationship with a 20 year old," one person wrote. "What could they possibly have in common?"
Actor Nick Dumont also chimed in, saying, "I don't know these two but I think too often we overlook age gaps in queer relationships. I even think 30 and 22 is a poor match. The brain is very very different in your early 20s and late 20s. The brain isn't even developed fully until 25/26. Obviously hope they are the exception!"
(The claim that brains don't fully develop until 25 or 26 has become popular on social media, but isn't at all that simple.)
Camp herself decided to jump in and defend her relationship after seeing some of the comments centered around age.
"I've dated men exactly my age and Jade is FAR more mature than any of them," she wrote. "We have more in common than anyone else I've ever dated and can literally talk about anything and everything. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I'm wishing everyone well :) Especially this Pride month."
Age gap relationships have notably been a target of Gen Z ire in recent years — even age gaps so small that they wouldn't even register as age gaps to many people. Maybe that's because much of Gen Z is still young enough that even a couple of years between two people can create a divide between adulthood and being underage, or maybe it's something else entirely.
But a number of people in the Pink News Instagram comments defended Camp's relationship.
"Many don't understand that being a controversially young girlfriend is the lesbian dream," wrote @camryngrace.
"i love women in male dominated fields lets gooo," joked @tamararamli.
One commenter wondered whether people were directing the same criticisms towards Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor and their 30+ year age gap, while another suggested people stop "infantilising a 24 year old adult."
"Age gaps in queer relationships are very common and don't often elicit the same power imbalances as hetero relationships given that we live in a patriarchal society that prioritises men being in power and women being objectified," @laura.jane.turner pointed out. "Healthy queer relationships don't prescribe to those heteronormative gender dynamics.
"these two humans look so bloody happy and I'm ecstatic that more and more women are discovering who they are and finding true happiness."