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Why Women Shouldn’t Worry about ‘Boyfriend Air’
There’s a trend that’s been making the rounds on TikTok for a while now, and it’s about how women’s looks apparently suffer after spending the night at their boyfriend’s place.
That’s right. “Boyfriend air” refers to the very atmosphere in a man’s house or apartment or mere presence that does unpleasant and sometimes disgusting things to his lady’s physical appearance.
With millions of views on videos about the topic, several people — mostly women sharing accounts of times they’ve allegedly experienced this phenomenon — seem to have come to the conclusion that this is, in fact, a Thing.
I’m here to finally say my piece and tell you that it’s not. (Or that even if it is, it’s not an issue we should be up in arms over.)
It’s natural.
One of the most common types of posts about boyfriend air is a before-and-after splice video of a woman showing the change in her face or hair or even clothes after hanging out with her beau.
The Before clip usually depicts her to be very well put together, with stylishly coiffed hair and heavy makeup, while the After version dissolves all that into a messy bun at best, with a face free from cosmetics or with mascara running down her cheeks at worst.
But despite the staggering amount of visual evidence, I can still confidently say this: that’s perfectly normal.
What this trend wants to claim as an effect of men’s infamously poor hygiene or a product of zero effort on maintenance when in a long-term relationship is none of that at all. It’s merely the natural outcome of a couple spending time with each other in a relaxed and private setting.
After all, isn’t the goal of spending the night at a boyfriend’s place to be able to spend quality time, away from all the pressure to look perfect, with the freedom to indulge in physical intimacy that usually leaves people sweaty and disheveled?
It’s actually a good sign.
Sure, it’s always important to look and feel good about yourself, even when you’re already spoken for.
However, what the idea of boyfriend air fails to take into account is that a woman in a happy, fulfilling relationship is bound to wake up one day in an untidy bed, feeling rumpled but satisfied in the arms of someone who loves her.
At some point in a long-term relationship, physical appearance will be the least of your concerns, even in terms of keeping your partner committed to you. Nothing says unconditional love like being an ugly gremlin but still having someone who thinks you’re the most beautiful woman in the world, right?
I understand the concern of people on TikTok who are genuinely worried that being in their partner’s space has somehow turned them into horrible creatures not fit for civilized company.
Perhaps some men really are to blame for their girlfriends’ sudden transformation — at the end of the day, not everyone is lucky enough to have a man who cleans up after himself — but it’s definitely not a widespread, negative consequence of being in love.
Boyfriend air can simply be the hard-earned right to finally being able to feel comfortable around someone who you no longer have to constantly impress — because you know they’re here to stay for better or worse.
