Salva Mubarak Senior Features Writer

Another day, another viral trend that makes you question whether Gen-Z are actual geniuses or too bizarre for your milennial brain. This time, it’s the ‘Girlfriend Effect’ trend that’s taking over the Internet.

The ‘Girlfriend Effect’ or ‘Girlfriend Air’ is when men seem to upgrade their overall sense of style under the influence of their partners. It started gaining popularity when creators on TikTok began sharing evidence of their glow-ups after getting into a relationship.

Here’s everything to know about this latest divisive trend that’s been all over our social feeds recently…

What is the ‘Girlfriend Effect’?

The ‘Girlfriend Effect’ is when a man’s style and aesthetic begans improving after getting into a relationship. One of the creators who set the trend in motion was Gabe Escobar, who shared a few before and after photos depicting how his style had improved after he started dating his girlfriend over a year ago.

Following Escobar, many couples began sharing their own examples of how the ‘Girlfriend Effect’ is, in fact, a real thing.

Why are people angry at the ‘Girlfriend Effect’?

You’d be hard pressed to find a topic on the Internet that everyone unanimously agrees on. So it should come as no surprise that the ‘Girlfriend Effect’ has its fair share of haters. According to many who oppose the popularisation of the trend, it subtly shifts the onus of personal growth and transformation to women in any relationships, thus absolving men of the responsibility.

The people of this school of thought argue that women are already tasked with taking on a lion’s share of emotional labour in a relationship and this only adds to it.

Some users also pointed out that the opposite is actually a glow down for women. The ‘Boyfriend Effect’ has been known to cause skin issues and an overall downgrading of style for women.

There are some who have also shunned the trend as it squashes individual style and attempts to mould people according to what strangers on the Internet deem acceptable.

Do you think the ‘Girlfriend Effect’ is real?