Picture this: You’ve just hung out with your boyfriend, and everything seems fine and dandy until you look in the mirror – WTF happened?! Your hair is a greasy mess, your face has sprouted a couple of zits, not to mention how smudged your makeup looks now after putting so much work into it! If that sounds familiar to you, then you might have been experiencing ‘Boyfriend Air’!
Yes, ‘Boyfriend Air’ is TikTok’s recent term of interest, and apparently, a lot of people have been experiencing it, they just never had a term for it, until now. According to the boyfriend air theory, the more time you spend with your boyfriend, the uglier you look. Examples include feeling more “dirty”, or your flaws being more accentuated.
While some users still remain skeptical about this theory, some have taken it upon themselves to share evidence of the hypothesis, showing how they looked like before and after seeing their boyfriends:
@yanah.du Frfr #boyfriendair #bfair #glowdown
@imzaaher Getting ready for nothing #boyfriendair #fyp
@marine.bray
As you can see, their makeup has disappeared, their freshly washed hair looks like three-day-old hair! It seems like most of them looked ‘worse’ after spending just a few hours with their significant other.
Why Does It Happen?
With all the evidence piling up, the boyfriend air theory might just be legit. But why does it happen? While it could just be the result of settling into a comfortable relationship, some say it’s just a matter of hygiene. As this video simply puts it: “boyfriend air isn’t a thing, your boyfriend just doesn’t wash his bedding!”
@madisonvschramm this is just my take yall im sorry though im here for the idea of it lol #boyfriendair
Even Filipina influencer Killa Kush says she, too, experienced boyfriend air. She stated that, “Early on when we just started dating, a.k.a like hooking up all the time, I was going through really bad boyfriend air skin.” She then explained that the reason for this was because she didn’t have her skincare with her all the time and had to rely on her boyfriend’s soap or 2-in-1 shampoo, which would dry out her skin and hair. Not to mention her boyfriend rarely changed his sheets. So could this all be due to males being less hygienic than women, to the point that when they hang out with them it affects their skin?
Some users attribute it to just getting comfortable enough to not care as much about what he or other people think, which does have some truth to it. As one user commented: “I think what boyfriend air really is, is the fact that we tend to lose focus on ourselves when we get into a relationship”
We tend to put less care into our appearance after dating someone, whether we like to admit it or not. This doesn’t always mean that we are ‘letting ourselves go’ and no longer care about how we look; rather, it means that we feel at ease with our partners. Sure, who doesn’t enjoy being pretty and getting dolled up every now and then? But if your spouse makes you feel beautiful even when you’re not trying to look your best, you know they’re the real deal.
Meanwhile, some are comparing this phenomenon to ‘Girlfriend air’, which supposedly has an opposite effect on your appearance. Whereas boyfriend air causes a glow-down, girlfriend air leads to a glow-up! Some people have found that after spending a significant amount of time with their girlfriends, they have taken on some of their habits as well, like doing more skincare, using separate shampoo and conditioner, and just generally keeping the place tidy and clean.
While some may believe that ‘letting yourself go’ is a bad indication in a relationship, it can also be viewed as an achievement when you stop putting effort into your appearance. When you stop worrying about how you look all of the time, you have more time to focus on what really matters: having a healthy connection and communicating effectively with your partner. A partnership should be a secure haven for you and your partner to be your authentic selves. So, if you find yourself letting yourself go or caring less about how you look, you may have just met the one who makes you feel special and genuinely appreciates your true beauty on the inside. And perhaps that’s what being in a relationship is all about!
