In our new series, Love Week, i-D are exploring what really matters when it comes to dating and relationships in 2018. Today, we hear from madly in love femmes Rene and Maggie, who met on Instagram and got hitched in 2016. These two are a beautiful example of a generation set to redefine what love looks like. Queer, interracial, young but wise beyond their years, they decided to get married firstly because they are head over heels for each other, but also to make a statement — their love is not a phase. Rene and Maggie are the real deal.
The pair first met in person at the Saatchi Gallery over the pinnacle of romantic foodstuffs: shared carbohydrates. “You just were like, have half of this sandwich, and I was like, no, and you just looked at me and were like no. You’re having. the sandwich,” Rene says. “And it’s been like that ever since.”
Not long after that and they’re getting married in oversized white hoodies. “Standing up in front of a group of people saying this is who I am, this is the person I love, is quite a powerful act of visibility.” The pair what it means to be young and in love in 2018 — kind, open and completely besotted. And they look damn good doing it. Watch the film, feel emotional, and then read on to find out about Rene and Maggie’s best and worst habits, their advice to their younger selves about love, and what they want for their shared future.
Please introduce yourselves!
Maggie: I’m a 25-year-old researcher and curator originally from Liverpool but living and working in London.
Rene: I’m 20 and I’m a conceptual artist and visual archivist currently studying at Central St Martins. I grew up in Peterborough and now I live and work in London.
Describe each other in 3 words.
Maggie: Rene is hilarious, breathtaking and visionary.
Rene: Maggie is ingenious, passionate and dreamy.
What’s the best date you’ve taken each other on?
Maggie: Our first date, without a doubt. It wasn’t supposed to be a date — it was the first time we had ever met offline and we spent the day visiting galleries and obsessively asking each other questions, exchanging stories and absorbing as much of each other as we could. When I had to leave it felt like I was tearing myself in two and we have been inseparable ever since that day.
Rene: Definitely our first date! But every date since then has been just as magical.
What is Rene’s best habit? And her most annoying one…
Maggie: her dedication to her work. She is always making something, writing something or painting something. I love the passion she has for her art. Her worst habit is falling asleep on the couch in the evening and being completely impossible to wake up.
And how about Maggie?
Rene: Mags’s best habit is her ability to get shit done. I have never met someone so in charge of what they’re doing — it’s incredibly inspiring. Her most annoying habit is not giving herself enough credit for everything that she has done and is doing. She is my hero.
What would you tell your 16-year-old self about dating?
Maggie: I would tell myself to go a little easier on my partners. Nobody is perfect. Your partner can love you, support you and bring out the best in you, but they cannot fix you or complete you… only you can do that work.
Rene: You are lucky to have this much passion inside you, don’t waste it on someone who doesn’t nurture it.
And about love?
Maggie: I would tell myself that the love you receive is not linked to your self-worth, and that you shouldn’t rely solely on the love and affection of others to make you feel good about yourself. Your lover can help you see your inner magic, but only you can make you truly happy with who you are. True and lasting love meets you where you’re at, it grows with you and appreciates you just the way you are.
Rene: Your body is the only one that you will ever get, don’t forget to put some love there too.
What do you think your life will look like in five years from now?
Maggie: I hope that Rene and I will be applying our creativity, passion and politics to our careers, thinking about expanding our family, but also still making each other smile every day and acting like little kids on the sly.
Rene: I hope that we will be pursuing our artistic dreams, maybe in a different country, maybe with a baby on the way, definitely still obsessed with each other.
What does it feel like to be loved?
Maggie: It feels like home.
Rene: It feels like I am exactly where I always needed to be.