A young woman who entered into matrimony with her former high school teacher has addressed the backlash following her social media posts celebrating their union.
Influencer Minea Pagni, aged 22, has shared details about her significant 38-year age difference with a man she names as ‘Massimo’ across her Instagram account in recent months. Many comments on these posts express surprise at their relationship, with some accusing her of being a ‘gold digger’.
In an interview with the New York Post, Pagni responded to her detractors, stating: “Reducing a woman’s choices to money is one of the oldest and most unfair stereotypes. I have my own goals, my own work, and my own independence. I married him for who he is — his mind, his values, and the way he loves.”
The two initially crossed paths when Pagni was 17 and Massimo was her philosophy teacher. However, Pagni claims their romantic involvement began when she was 21, after a chance encounter in a bookstore where she confessed her schoolgirl infatuation.
About a year later, she wed the significantly older Massimo, who, when he was her age in 1989, witnessed historical events like the fall of the Berlin Wall. Fifteen years after that, Pagni was born.
Through various posts, the Italian medical student and content creator expressed her desire to challenge the stereotypes surrounding large age-gap relationships, describing them as rooted in ‘prejudice.’
In November 2025, Pagni unveiled her choice of partner, saying: “Many years ago, in the school of my small hometown, something happened, something that happens to many students.
“I found myself fascinated by a teacher: a man whose age didn’t match the brilliance of his mind; curious, passionate, alive. A teacher who knew how to light a spark inside people.”
Recalling her time in Massimo’s classroom, she said: “With him, I discovered the desire to learn, to grow, to become someone. And alongside all of that, a small crush bloomed.”
Five years on, after giving him her contact in a bookstore but receiving no call, she started attending his public lectures ‘out of nostalgia, curiosity, or maybe hope.’ Finally, she gathered the nerve to invite him for coffee, marking the start of their relationship.
Concluding her account of their romance, she stated: “Today, a year later, we still look at each other with surprise – astonished by how deeply we connect, despite the age gap, despite our very different lives.”
Despite her positive outlook on the substantial age difference, numerous commenters expressed discomfort with her choice in partner. One user remarked: “Listen its not the age difference that bothers me the most, what bothers me the most is that he saw you GROW UP. Its weird.”
Another added: “As someone who has worked as a teacher and taught kids, this is incredibly disturbing.”
Nevertheless, Pagni suggests that these responses reflect societal perceptions of love rather than her personal choices, telling the Post: “I knew not everyone would understand, but I wasn’t fully prepared for how intense some reactions could be.
“Still, I’ve learned that criticism often says more about society’s fears than about our love.”