Fans have been waiting years to see singer-songwriters Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello take their relationship to the next level, and recently, they may have done just that.
On Wednesday, Sept. 11, the couple took to Instagram to share a video in which they address criticism they’ve been getting from some people mocking the way they make out. Apparently they’d been hurt by accusations that they “kiss like fish.”
Shawn and Camila then romantically move in closer to lock lips and prove once and for all that they know how to kiss properly, when Camila suddenly shoves her entire tongue inside his mouth! They then awkwardly, inexplicably rub their open mouths together and…you know what, just watch the video for yourself.
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We’d like to take this frankly frightening kiss as an opportunity to go down memory lane with our favorite maybe-fake couple in an attempt to figure out how we got here.
Where It All Began
Shawn, 20, and Camila, 22, first met while opening for Austin Mahone’s tour in 2014. Camila was still part of girl group Fifth Harmony, and Shawn was still riding the wave of his Vine success.
Shawn and Camila for V Magazine 😍 pic.twitter.com/g03SMSB2tO
— DML Media (@DMLMedia) July 12, 2019
The couple has been teasing their interest in each other pretty much ever since; along the way, they dated other people…until recently, just after “Señorita” hit the airwaves and its steamy music video was released.
Days after “Señorita” debuted, Camila and her boyfriend of over a year, Matthew Hussey, split, People reported. After the split, Shawn and Camila started to pop up together more and more in paparazzi photos around the country.
By this time, fans were shipping Shawn and Camila harder than ever, and over the Fourth of July weekend, fans got what they had been waiting for. The couple was spotted together holding hands, kissing, and flirting.
Shawn and Camila at a Fourth of July party in Malibu! pic.twitter.com/DaoxDQnT7K
— Shawn Mendes Updates (@DailyMendesLife) July 5, 2019
Camila then attended Shawn’s show two nights in a row.
Following the second show, the couple was spotted at a restaurant at 5 a.m., snuggling together in a booth. They concluded the weekend together by hanging out with Shawn’s mom and sister as they house-hunted in West Hollywood.
Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello together at dawn in Los Angeles… OMG 😲 Señorita has lit the flame … ❤️ pic.twitter.com/4vsmhyib4j
— Shawn Mendes forever (@ShawnMendesfo17) July 7, 2019
From that point on, it was Shawmila sightings galore! Fans were more excited than ever. In July, the couple headed down to Florida for more of Shawn’s shows. There, they were seen getting cozy at a coffee shop, and of course, fans captured the moment.
The couple was later spotted sharing a smooch at a restaurant in the area.
shawn and camila kissing 🥰 they look so happy and in love pic.twitter.com/naE647fW3S
— shawmila thoughts (@shawncamilaupd) July 27, 2019
Showmila?
Over the past several months, some fans have questioned how genuine their relationship actually is. Fans noticed the couple seemed to “pose” for paparazzi shots, and for two people who had previously been so private about their personal lives, Shawn and Camila putting their affection on display for the world to see seemed pretty out of character.
can’t believe i’ve waited years for camila and shawn to get together only for it to be pr. she’s looking right at the camera like wtf pic.twitter.com/NO6BV9Sik9
— 𝐜𝐚𝐢𝐭 (@harrysthot) July 8, 2019
Some fans even brought up Shawn’s Rolling Stone interview from November of last year when he said, “In the back of my heart, I feel like I need to go be seen with someone—like a girl—in public, to prove to people that I’m not gay. Even though in my heart I know that it’s not a bad thing. There’s still a piece of me that thinks that. And I hate that side of me.”
During the interview, he also recalled seeing top A-listers with their partners and said that he was starting to get a little jealous. “I had this thought: ‘I have to get paparazzied with someone. Who am I gonna get? I’m not relevant,’” he said.
“Every touch is ooh la la la…”
On July 29, 2019, Shawn and Camila made headlines when they were spotted getting steamier than ever in a Miami pool.
Shawn and Camila in Miami today (HQ)
— July 29, 2019 pic.twitter.com/UMBOlOlmbw
— Shawn & Camila HQ (@ShawmilaHQ) July 30, 2019
Later, they held hands poolside.
OKAY but Camila is so tiny and Shawn is to tall, also their hands omg 🥺 pic.twitter.com/MAB590tQDH
— sharon (@tommobehappy) July 30, 2019
The rumors never really died down, and about a month later, Shawn and Camila took home the MTV Video Music Award for Best Collaboration for “Señorita,” which they also performed together during the award show. The couple took to a stage lit by golden lights for the first-ever live performance of the song that launched the newest incarnation of their rumored romance, and throughout the steamy number, the two sang directly to one another with undeniable chemistry.
At multiple points, the pair appeared about to kiss before pulling away at the last second, leaving fans and celebrities wanting more.
More Shawmila content for your TL because it’s what we all deserve!! #VMAs pic.twitter.com/cK2klvbaaE
— MTV (@MTV) August 27, 2019
Taylor Swift, a friend of both halves of Shawmila, was particularly shook.
“OH SHIT“ taylor’s reaction to shawn and camila’s almost kiss #VMAs pic.twitter.com/w5XXEMAXAA
— sebastian (@lovingcmila) August 27, 2019
Other celebrities were also majorly disappointed.
Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner, and Bebe Rexha’s reaction to the end of the Señorita performance is priceless LMAO #VMAs pic.twitter.com/Q4CbylZTAP
— Shawn Mendes Updates (@TrackingSM) August 27, 2019
The Kiss Seen Round The World
The people asked for more Shawmila kisses, and oh man, did they get them—but that cringeworthy Instagram kiss was not what people bargained for.
In the video, the pair can’t control their laughter after the bizarre make-out session, obviously having fun trolling their fans. Despite the clear joke, the sheer horror of their inept spit-swapping made fans around the world have strong reactions to the video:
everyone in the world at Shawn and Camila pic.twitter.com/qL7WjWXOb0
— ؘ (@lookingctme) September 12, 2019
Many longed for the blissful ignorance of a time before they’d watched it.
me after seeing the shawn mendes and camila video pic.twitter.com/GiEDK5DMqb
— kathy. (@acousticlany) September 12, 2019
Others were just solidly grossed out.
The whole tl after watching that video of camila and shawn:pic.twitter.com/SpTx1hzJNc
— 샌디 (@kimchimyyy) September 12, 2019
And even more were just sick of seeing it everywhere.
The next time I see this Shawn and Camila video on my precious tl pic.twitter.com/aRaBYQNULs
— 𝑅 + 𝐸 🎈 II SAW IT CH 2 (@wildtimeeditz) September 12, 2019
Shawn and Camila still haven’t confirmed if they are officially dating, but judging by how, um, comfortable they are with each other, we think it’s safe to say they are, in fact, a couple.