"Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's PDA isn’t cute; it’s just rude"

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker were officially one of 2021's biggest surprises. Following Kourtney's decade-long on-off relationship with Scott Disick, family friend Travis came onto the scene, and Kardashian-Jenner fans the world over have been *enthralled* watching the couple's intense romance unfold.

Within months of the first relationship rumours, #Kravis were everywhere on the internet. And soon after the subtle Insta hint-dropping began, they landed on their defining brand as a couple: I'm talking about lots and lots of PDA.

If you've been anywhere near Travis or Kourt's Instagrams over the past 12 months, you'll have seen the pair's relationship developing via a series of intimate selfies. From hand-holding to kissing pics, plus plenty of shots showing Travis picking Kourtney up in different glam locations across the globe. Then there are the red carpet appearances, with Kravis routinely amping up the PDA while posing for pics in front of photographers, licking each other's tongues and some not-so-subtle bum grabbing.

And if the family's new reality series The Kardashians is anything to go by, it doesn't look like the PDA is going anywhere any time soon.

So, thanks to all of the above, intense PDA has officially become a lasting part of Kravis' identity in the public eye - with many dubbing them 'relationship goals'. But actually, for me, moments that were intended to be cute have instead wound up feeling pretty cringe. And, more than cringe, their ongoing PDA is actually just coming across as rude.

Tune into the second episode of new The Kardashians, and you'll be met with yet another bizarre Kravis moment. Viewing a (ridiculously huge) LA home to buy together, one scene sees the pair pulling out some full-on PDA while their unassuming real estate agent looks on, presumably caught very off-guard. Kourtney is seen straddling Travis on an outdoor sofa while the pair get extremely touchy, with the realtor hovering about awkwardly in the background (eventually appearing to leave).

While we might be accustomed to seeing Kravis in this sort of situation by now, take a step back to imagine doing this in the real world aaaand, yep, mega cringe - and definitely rude when you consider the lingering estate agent trying to do his job.

And it seems I'm not the only one to think so. Kardashian social media fan accounts (who usually praise every move of the famous family) have come out to criticise the PDA/estate agent moment. Instagram account @dashuniverse posted the clip in question, with one fan commenting in response, "I love them, but sometimes it's just not that appropriate."

Dozens of others shared the same sentiment. Another agreed, "I love them but that made me cringe," while a third slammed the pair's "lack of respect for people around them trying to be professional and help," adding, "Wow the world doesn’t revolve around you guys."

The Kardashians aside, there are endless more awkward PDA moments to list. The Poosh founder previously came under fire for straddling Travis in the middle of friend Simon Huck's wedding reception. Plus, another clip shows the couple sharing an OTT moment in actual Disneyland (yes, really). And who could forget Kravis' Megan Fox/MGK double tongue-kissing pic?

Then there's the infamous boob grab which happened *right* in front of mum Kris Jenner at her karaoke birthday party - a moment fans unanimously deemed as, yep, awkward. What's more, Kris herself has semi-shaded Kravis for making other family members uncomfortable, telling The Ellen DeGeneres Show (albeit jokingly), "We almost don't know what to do with ourselves ... I'm looking for a closet to hide in." Ouch.

Up until this point, I'd been a pretty big Kravis fan. Like many loyal Keeping Up With The Kardashians viewers, I found it refreshing to see Kourtney finally finding true love after so many years of ups and downs with ex Scott Disick. But seeing more and more of their cringe PDA moments (and in longer clips than Instagram usually allows), I'll admit that the couple are indeed coming across as just as out of touch as their critics say.

Of course, Kourtney and Travis aren't hurting anybody, and they should be free to show their love however they like. In episode two of The Kardashians, Kourtney defends her and Travis' house viewing make out sesh, saying in a confessional, "Kissing and hugging is not a bad thing." Seeming to shade ex Scott, she adds, "I'm actually grateful that my kids can see a loving, affectionate relationship because they haven't seen that their whole lives."

She has a point, and we shouldn't be policing other people's relationships (even those of the rich and famous). But still, given the pair's very intentional sexual behaviour in public and professional settings, it's easy for the lasting impression to be one of unnecessary rudeness rather than affection.

It's hard to know what to believe though. Are these two as in love as they say? Or have they fallen into the trap of making OTT PDA their whole brand? And, now they've established themselves this way, do they feel as though they can't stop? It's likely that, if we were to see a full cold turkey PDA pause from Kravis, fans would be the first to speculate that they were on the rocks.

So, with a newfound 'relationship goals' reputation to contend with and a whole season of The Kardashians to fill, I'd bet we can expect this pair's honeymoon period to just keep going and going. But Kravis, if you're listening, if you could just hold off on the unnecessary public lap dances, we (and Kris Jenner) would love it, thanks.

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