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What Keanu Reeves Dating ‘Age-Appropriate' Alexandra Grant Reveals About Sexism and Ageism in Hollywood

Keanu Reeves trended on Twitter with many praising the actor for dating a woman who is close to his age, but some questioned whether he should be trending in the first place

Actor Keanu Reeves was trending on social media and rumors began to take hold after he was photographed holding hands with artist and philanthropist Alexandra Grant at the LAMCA Art + Film Gala on Saturday.

Reeves, 55, and Grant, 46, have previously worked together as business partners, collaborating on the adult picture book “Ode to Happiness” (2011) and the photography collection “Shadows” (2016).

Though neither Reeves nor Grant have confirmed their relationship, initial reactions to the couple were positive with many praising the actor for dating a woman who is close to his age. But despite eliciting cheery congratulations, the supposed couple is also sparking a conversation about the ways ageism and sexism in Hollywood persist — with many commenting on the absurdity of the actor trending for dating a woman nine years his junior, NBC News reported

“We live in a society that understands success in material terms and views women as assets,” Sharon Marcus, a professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University and the author of “The Drama of Celebrity,” told NBC News. “When a celebrity like Keanu Reeves goes out with an older woman who doesn’t dye her hair, some people think he should be awarded a feminist Nobel Prize.”

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