Julia Fox has apparently fallen head-over-heels for Kanye West since meeting him at a New Year’s Eve party in Miami last week.
But the brunette beauty may want to be keep her guard up, with the rapper reportedly displaying an “early red flag” in their romance.
West, 44, appears to be “love-bombing” the 31-year-old actress — a dating tactic whereby a suitor immediately showers a new partner with gifts and attention in order to make them feel both dazzled and secure.
In a diary entry penned for Interview magazine that came out Thursday, Fox writes that West “had an entire hotel suite full of clothes” waiting for her when they returned from their their first official date in New York City earlier this week.
“It was every girl’s dream come true. It felt like a real Cinderella moment,” Fox swoons in her first-person piece.
But experts say love-bombing could be a sign that a new lover is “trying to manipulate you.”
In addition to lavish gifts, love-bombing actions include making a declaration of love after only a few dates, as well as constant texting and making plans for the future.
Often, love-bombers cool off or ghost completely once they’re satisfied that they’ve lured their new partner in. This ends up leaving the new partner feeling confused and manipulated.
“A narcissistic relationship often starts as too much too fast — this is then followed by a cycle of devaluing, discarding, and ups and downs,” Ramani Durvasula, a clinical psychologist and narcissism expert, told Insider.
Therapist Claire Stott additionally told the publication that solid relationships usually take time to develop, and that a good foundation can’t be rushed.
“A good relationship, I think, is a slow burner,” Stott said. “It’s not necessarily one that’s going to be super intense at the beginning. It’s one that’s going to gradually build as you get to know each other.”
For those who do find themselves getting showered by gifts in the early stages of a relationship, it’s not always the beginning of the end — just pay attention to how long it lasts, said Dr. Dale Archer, a psychiatrist.
“If extravagant displays of affection continue indefinitely, if actions match words, and there is no devaluation phase, then it’s probably not love-bombing,” Archer said.
“On the other hand, if there’s an abrupt shift in the type of attention, from affectionate and loving to controlling and angry, with the pursuing partner making unreasonable demands, that’s a red flag.”
“The important thing to remember about love-bombing is that it is psychological partner abuse, period,” Archer said. “When one person intentionally manipulates and exploits another’s weakness or insecurity, there’s no other word for it.”
