A viral picture of Olivia Rodrigo has reignited an age-old debate about dating, after the pop star was snapped seemingly paying for a meal shared with her boyfriend Louis Partridge.
ICYMI, the hullabaloo kicked off on social media earlier this week, when an image of Rodrigo brandishing her digital card at a restaurant with Partridge started doing the rounds over on X.
For all those curious (me): no, Rodrigo’s bank card details were not visible and yes, it was an American Express card (because that “driver’s license” money is no joke).
The viral post, which has since been viewed over 15 million times, sees the pair seated at a table while interacting with a waiter, who was probably either mentally reciting the lyrics to “good 4 u” or wondering why someone had their phone pointed at him from across the street.
In any case, many took the image as evidence Rodrigo had footed the bill for her and Partridge’s meal, posing a time-honoured question that has plagued lovebirds ever since the first two cave people had history’s first-ever date: should the man pay for dinner?
It was that very sentiment got the internet talking in a way similar to *that* ill-fated Yo-Chi date in Melbourne, with scores of social media users divided on whether it should’ve been Partridge who coughed up the cash.
“I feel bad for Olivia, she deserves better,” one fan wrote on X, with another adding that the singer was left “paying for that broke ass man”.
Elsewhere, some Rodrigo defenders went as far as saying it’s “time to reevaluate” her relationship with Partridge, the Enola Holmes star she’s been dating since 2023.
“No matter what … a woman should never have to pay,” another user quipped.
On the opposing end, many flocked to Partridge’s defence, assuming (likely correctly) that Rodrigo is the “breadwinner” and citing the lack of context we have from the image alone.
“Maybe she’s the BREADWINNER in this relationship,” one fan wrote, while another questioned if perhaps Rodrigo “wanted it to be her treat or something”.
“Maybe they pay every other outing,” a third user theorised, “maybe she wants to treat her man. Maybe his card was stolen & he can’t pay”.
“Girls can pay the check too! Hope this helps!”, another fan added.
Like any social media discourse, the correct answer is murky, but the chatter at least makes one thing clear: if it’s me on the date, the man should always pay, not least because it’s the third time I’ve ‘accidentally’ left my wallet at home.
Rodrigo and Partridge reportedly met through mutual friends in late-2023, but were more recently spotted getting cosy at Wimbledon, where celebrities go to either hard-launch a new relationship à la Andrew Garfield or hilariously fall asleep à la Hugh Grant.
The jury is still out on who should pay for a date, but I’d venture to say Rodrigo — with sold-out world tours and a smash hit song that broke the internet (and my tear ducts) — can afford to have this one covered.
Lead images: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images and X
