While most of us understand that there are two sides to the coin when we talk about the lives of people portrayed on social media, it seems that sometimes we still get caught up in watching the world where people’s daily tasks consist of drinking lattes, making flower-shaped ice cubes and going shopping or to a restaurant and think that this is how they spend all of their time. But after seeing many of these beautifully edited videos and pictures, have you ever asked yourself why can’t you live like that? It’s probably because no one actually lives like that. Or at least those who have a job, studies, responsibilities, and the need to take care of themselves and perhaps others. We all have the right to decide what should we do with our lives and how we want to spend our time, usually focusing on how certain activities would help us to become the true version of ourselves. This is when some individuals decide that they want to pursue a career, maybe do some volunteering, while others want to focus on family and raising kids. Having in mind the latter option, it usually comes with the “tag” of a stay-at-home parent, housewife, or housekeeper. But the recent TikTok trend of “stay-at-home” girlfriend/fiancée that shows the everyday life of a woman who spends her day taking care of her and her partner’s home sparked a debate online after TikTok user @laura.henshaw explained why this trend is actually dangerous.
More Info: TikTok
TikTok user decided to share her thoughts on why the "stay-at-home girlfriend" trend is actually dangerous
Image credits: laura.henshaw
The TikToker Laura Henshaw, who is known as the CEO of the company Keep it Cleaner, a health and wellness app, took some time to sit down and share her thoughts on the trend that shows what some women do in a day as stay-at-home girlfriends and fiancées. In her video that now has 147.5k views, Laura agreed that while this lifestyle might seem fun and glamorous, it’s also actually risky. The woman then simply explains what this concept is about, revealing that while a man goes to work, his partner then stays at home and takes care of the household. Many videos show how the women clean the apartment, go shopping, make dinner, and sometimes spend some time taking care of themselves by going to the salon or a spa.
The trend shows what women who decided to stay home and care for the household while their partner works do on a daily basis
Image credits: laura.henshaw
The woman warned that this is how these girlfriends and fiancées lose their financial independence
Image credits: laura.henshaw
The CEO was concerned that while being at home, these women lose their financial independence as they don’t have to go to work because their significant other provides for them. While that might sound like a dream, the woman stresses another aspect - that the loss of financial independence might lead to financial abuse. A lot of things might happen in life that might affect one’s relationship: betrayal, abuse, or an attack that pushes a person to leave the relationship but codependency makes it harder to do so. Not to mention horrific accidents when a partner dies, leaving their boyfriend or girlfriend all by themselves, with no support.
Despite living their best life, these video creators risk suffering from financial abuse
Image credits: laura.henshaw
The TikToker who is also a CEO encouraged women to never stop educating themselves and acquire a skill
Image credits: laura.henshaw
Laura shared the not-so-glamorous fact that the number of homeless women in Australia is only rising and the reason for that is that more and more women decide to stay at home instead of choosing education or mastering some sort of skill. The TikTok user finished her video by reminding others that these two things are “power” and that they shouldn’t take it for granted.
Even if we feel that the idea behind all of these videos is the same, the situation these women are in is different. While some of them are happily enjoying, as some commentators stated, “a dream life,” many of these women are actually content creators, influencers, or business owners. This means that they have their own source of income and they do work, usually from their homes, but perhaps decide not to include that part in their videos. This once again proves that what we see on social media is only one side of how things actually are.
A few examples of how stay-at-home girlfriends start their day and what is usually on their list of "to-do's"
Image credits: skinbyhelen
Some of them also like to show how their loved ones shower them with gifts and fancy nights out
Image credits: rosedavisx
Image credits: septoctnov
The “what do I do as a stay-at-home girlfriend” trend not only started a lively debate online but also inspired other creators to make parody videos of it. For example, an American model, Haley Kalil, started sharing videos on TikTok called "A day in my life as a stay-at-home billionaire's girlfriend,” which shows what she does during the day while she waits for her boyfriend to come home. The trend-mocking videos show her doing an elaborate and over-the-top body care routine and taking care of the house in a way that only her partner would approve of, adding sarcastic comments. The videos now have at least a few million views and are loved by other TikTokers as it gives them a good laugh at the whole thing.
Soon after the trend became popular, its parody videos followed
Image credits: haleyybaylee
While the saying “to each their own” fits in this situation perfectly, the question of whether this trend won’t make the younger audience believe that it’s the right way to live still remains. What are your thoughts on this matter? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!
You can watch the full video down below
The video that explained why its dangerous to become a stay-at-home girlfriend was met with praise
This TikTok even encouraged other women to share their experiences of being in such a situation
Image credits: laura.henshaw