But does doing a pap shot always mean the relationship is not real? Sure, they use it for pr but other celebrities/artists i follow do those staged pap walks all the time but no one says their relationship is not real. It's only the case when Louis does it.
Why do we care so much?
My hypothesis is that we care because Louis presents a persona of authenticity and honesty. This public persona is in part why fans trust him and why he is endearing to us, the illusion of no boundaries, no lies. 
Therefore, Louis’ actions do constantly test this mythical persona. We fans are simple creatures who like consistency. When Louis says that he dislikes Love Island, or that he believes reality TV and influencer culture degrade young women’s perceptions of themselves, we want to believe this comes from a place of truth. You can easily find his quote about the Kardashians. We want to believe that his ethics do somewhat inform his personal life.
If he chose Zara and relationship is real, then what are we to make of Louis’ wavering moral values? “Influencer culture is bad for you lot, but not for me”? “It’s okay if it brings me attention”?
Of course you can argue that celebrities sell illusions and that is their allure. But then we also have to look at Louis’ persona of authenticity with a very skeptical eye. He can’t have it both ways.
















