With seven continents, 195 countries and more than 50 seas to explore, it's always a bit of a red flag when someone says they want to go to space. Haven't we all got enough to be getting on with on planet Earth? Do you expect me to believe you're going to pop to Boots to buy mini toiletries for a rocket trip to Mars?
For Olivia Rodrigo, asking her date if they want to go to space has become a litmus test for whether they are someone worth pursuing. 'I always ask them if they would want to go to space,' the singer told Netflix. 'If they say yes, I don't date them. I just think if you want to go to space, you're a little too full of yourself. It's just weird.'
Space X founder Elon Musk's ex-partner Grimes chimed in on social media to add, 'It's true. Only women should be going to space.'
Rodrigo is definitely onto something. It's a bit of a turn off to hear someone say they'd be willing to undergo physical training and, hypothetically, spend $5 million on three nights in a space hotel, or $450,000 on a 90-minute flight in suborbital space with Virgin Galactic, or $60 million on a return trip to the moon with Space X. It doesn't exactly suggest that they've got their priorities straight.
The 'Good 4 U' singer's 'oddly specific' date question set a lot of tongues wagging (or fingers tapping) about the subject on social media. In fact, Rodrigo's ex-boyfriend Zack Bia even commented on the post with a gif of an astronaut.
One X user commented, 'Let her cook. Name one celebrity man that's tried to go to space that isn't a red flag. Elon Musk, Pete Davidson, etc.' While another summed it up perfectly, writing, 'I guess her type is down to earth.'
However, unsurprisingly because it is the internet after all, the majority of the responses were from aspiring rocketeers who have called Rodrigo 'small minded', 'dumb' and 'an empty headed vapid little jellyfish'.
One man even sarcastically commented, 'Yeah, who would ever want to be with a dreamer who casts their gaze out into the universe with awe and wonder, so weird.' Another user echoed his sentiment by posting, 'So a guy who wants to accomplish something remarkable is a red flag? who does she think she is?'
Well then. At least we know the litmus test works! It's worth noting that Rodrigo is not referring to qualified astronauts here. We can safely assume she is not attempting to belittle the work of NASA or the value of scientific discovery. In fact, it's probably the people who think space travel is a realistic leisure activity, or an experience they are entitled to because they are a 'dreamer', that do this.
Voyager Station, the first space hotel, is supposedly set to open in 2027 and offers the world's wealthiest people the first feasible opportunity to travel in space. It is, to all intents and purposes, a billionaire's playground – with Elon Musk's company Space X planning to launch the hotel into orbit.
It's expected to be able to accommodate 400 guests and boasts multiple restaurants, a cinema, a spa, a library, a concert hall, a sports hall, viewing platforms and luxury hotel suites. Guests will reportedly be able to drink martinis while looking at the stars and play basketball where they can jump 'up to six times as high' as normal.
It sounds rather like a year six creative writing project, does it not? And imagine forking out $5 million for a stay in this hotel and spending 45 minutes with your head in the hole of a massage chair or two and a half hours in a dark room watching your favourite film. You can imagine it's the type of man who is impressed by flashy fast cars and and likes to unsubtly show off his wealthy purchases.
Perhaps Rodrigo is suggesting that she wouldn't like to build a future with someone who likes the idea of spending a small fortune on a novelty experience that is of little to no value to the greater good of humankind.
Imagine if those with enough money to genuinely consider going to Voyager Station or booking a flight with Virgin Galactic or Space X redirected their interests and resources to this planet instead. According to the World Bank, around 660 million people live in extreme poverty. That's 8.5% of the global population. We all have a lot of work to do before we start thinking about booking a rocket trip for our next big birthday.
It might be an inconvenient fact for the 'dreamers' amongst us, but Rodrigo has a point. There is something about the whole idea – in a world riddled with environmental and humanitarian crises – that is both indulgent and inconceivable and suggests you're 'just a little too full of yourself'.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things TV for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow shows with equal respect).