Aileen Christine: Balancing Love & Fame in the Digital World
Canadian influencer Aileen Christine, 29, is known as one half of the well-known couple, Aileen and Deven, who have recently celebrated 12 years together
Aileen started her content creation journey on Instagram in 2018, sharing her style and love for travel. Her passion for content creation grew, leading her to launch a TikTok account where she shared personal aspects of her life, particularly her relationship. Her account, featuring comedy, prank, and challenge videos, quickly gained popularity.
With over 6 million followers on TikTok, Aileen continues to entertain and share her journey with her high school sweetheart, Deven. She also hosts the podcast “When You Know, You Know,” offering insights on dating, relationships, and love.
In this interview with Miami Living, Aileen discusses relationships, her future plans, and her travel dreams in Miami.
Miami Living: How did you and Deven first meet, and what led to the beginning of your relationship?
Aileen Christine: Deven and I met when we were sixteen, which feels like such a long time but at the same time, it doesn’t. He was friends with my cousins, and I had seen him around a couple of times, but we weren’t on a speaking basis because we weren’t that close yet. When my cousin had her debut, which is a traditional coming-of-age party when you’re Filipino and turning eighteen, she had invited Deven to be her lead partner in the cotillion. With each cotillion practice, we grew closer and closer, eventually leading us to become best friends. After months of chasing, he finally asked me to be his girlfriend and here we are twelve years later!
Miami Living: What motivated you to start creating content on social media, and when did you begin?
Aileen Christine: I’ve always been interested in media. When I was younger, my dad loved to watch movies, and my mom loved to take photos so when social media first came around years ago, I kind of took those things my parents had taught me to love and ran with it. I took outfit photos, funny videos, vlogs, singing videos - basically whatever I enjoyed, I would film. At first, I was just posting to my friends and family on Facebook, then on Instagram, and then years and years later, when COVID hit, I finally decided to try out TikTok and start posting on there. I started off posting a couple of lip-syncing and outfit videos but didn’t go viral until I posted a video about my boyfriend and me, which went viral overnight. I have been doing it ever since.
Miami Living: After gaining a substantial following, in what ways did your relationship and future plans evolve?
Aileen Christine: I think what’s perfect with Deven and I is that we never make any solidified plans for the future. We’re very much a go-with-the-flow kind of couple, so even though we don’t know what’s coming in the future, we’re always ready to work it out as long as we’re together. In terms of our relationship changing, I always say we’re lucky to have had years to build such strong groundwork to work on because we always prioritize one another over anything else. It’s definitely given us more opportunities that we’re beyond grateful for and allows us to do it together too, which is a dream.
Miami Living: Reflecting on spending your 20s with your high school sweetheart, what were some challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
Aileen Christine: Our biggest challenge was definitely communication at that time. I think when you’re in your twenties, you are just starting to figure yourself out, and it’s a lot of changes and emotions happening at once. Throughout our twenties, we did a lot of self-reflection and realized that there was a lot of trauma from our childhoods that we needed to mend in order for us to grow as individuals. This usually causes a lot of emotion and stress, which then leads to accidentally taking it out on someone close to you. Even though our relationship was perfectly fine, the emotions you feel when undergoing changes can’t be helped. So, I think it’s really important to remember that as people, we’re multifaceted and always evolving. When those changes are happening, you always want to communicate where you’re at with your partner, friends, or even loved ones.
Miami Living: Could you share some of your favorite moments in your relationship? What makes it all worthwhile for you?
Aileen Christine: I always say that my favorite moments with Deven are the simplest ones. It’s the nights when we stay up surprisingly late talking about everything that pops into our heads and just laughing. Hearing his laugh makes everything worthwhile for me.
Miami Living: What tips would you give to other young adults in long-term relationships? How do you keep the spark alive and manage any doubts?
Aileen Christine: Laugh together as much as you can and communicate every chance you get. Anytime Deven and I feel slightly off, we always communicate that to one another. It would be much easier if everyone could read each other’s minds but unfortunately, people can’t read yours and you can’t read theirs. Assuming what someone is thinking or feeling can ruin a lot of relationships and friendships. So, never be afraid to ask and be open about how you feel.
Miami Living: What advice would you offer to those still searching for love?
Aileen Christine: Love will always come for you when you least expect it. Distract yourself by doing things you love and getting to know yourself because the person you attract will be a direct reflection of who you are.
Miami Living: Looking ahead, what are your career, relationship, and family goals?
Aileen Christine: Like I said, I’m not much of a planner but I do hope no matter where the future takes me, I have Deven and our two cats with me and that we’re all happy.
Miami Living: Without having been to Miami, what are your overall thoughts about the city?
Aileen Christine: When I think of Miami, I think of beaches, parties, and the Cuban influences which I heard means amazing food and great coffee shops too!
Miami Living: What aspects of Miami seem the most enticing to you? Would you prefer to enjoy Miami’s vibrant culture, exploring art, music, and local cuisine, or do you see yourself indulging in extravagant excursions, luxury shopping, 5-star hotels, and fine dining? Do you see yourself spending the night out on the town experiencing the city’s lively nightlife, or cozying up in the hotel room?
Aileen Christine: I would definitely indulge in the local cuisine, the shopping, and the nightlife. There’s nothing like spending the day at the mall, then going to either a fine dining spot or a local spot for dinner, and then hitting the club to sweat it all out. I also heard local thrift stores in Miami are amazing and I’ve always wanted to do a trip just for thrifting as I’m a big thrifter!
Miami Living: Could you tell us what your dream vacation to Miami would look like? What local spots would be on your bucket list?
Aileen Christine: South Beach would definitely be on my bucket list! I feel like it’s probably a generic answer, but I’m from Canada, and where I live, we don’t have beaches or much of a nightlife, so I would definitely take advantage of that!
You can follow along with Aileen and Deven’s journey on Instagram @aileenchristineee and on TikTok @aileenchristineee. The “When You Know, You Know” podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.