If you ever have doubts about your relationship with anyone, put it to the test, right? How else will you know it’ll last if you don’t shake up the foundations a bit?
One woman recently shared her story of figuring things out with her significant other. Well, spoiler, he’s no longer significant. But a viral internet thing called the orange peel theory helped her understand what’s what in her relationship and she seems better off for it.
If folks want a relationship to last, it has to have a strong foundation—one based on mutual respect and love
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
A woman recently tested the foundation of her relationship, which unexpectedly led her to the realization that he is unfortunately not the one
Image credits: Fine_Marionberry3796
Image credits: BGStock72 (not the actual photo)
The theory led the woman to realize just how disproportionate her contribution to the relationship was when compared to his
The gist of the story is that Redditor u/Fine_MarionBerry3796 stumbled upon the orange peel theory while scrolling through TikTok one day.
If you’re not aware, the orange peel theory is essentially a test of a relationship—ask your significant other to do something that you can, at that moment, do yourself (like peeling an orange) and witness their reaction. The idea is that if the SO responds with any form of “no”, then the theory claims it’s likely that they won’t be able to go through with other, bigger tasks in the relationship. If they do it, however, you've got yourself a winner.
Anywho, out of curiosity, she tried it. She asked her partner to braid her hair—he could as he himself used to have long hair. He declined. And she didn’t make much of it until later in the day when she, already having forgotten about the whole theory, asked him to do something else—throw her towel into the dryer so it’s warm for when she gets out of the shower. And he didn’t.
OP suddenly realized just how much of herself she has already invested in the relationship, all the while he can’t even throw a towel into the dryer. We won’t get into the gritty details, but OP admitted she’s giving 90% to the relationship, while he’s nowhere near any reasonable proportion.
Folks online were very critical of the fact that the woman based her relationship decision on a TikTok thing
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
At first, commenters went ballistic on the woman about her choice to essentially sabotage her relationship with someone all because she saw a video on TikTok.
They elaborated that instead of partaking in dubious online advice, she should instead reflect on the relationship, communicate needs, and not assume that all the small things will necessarily lead to all the bad things too.
There were some defenders among the comment ranks too, though. The thing that a part of the commentdom failed to realize is that a test like this lets folks understand how much a partner is willing to meet their SO’s needs just for the sake of making them happy. Because, ultimately, that is the kind of partner OP wants in a relationship.
One of the first comments to come out pointed out that TikTok trends are not an authority in relationship advice
Others, however, disagreed and said that the reasoning is legit
A hefty update followed several days later, posted by the original author
Image credits: Fine_Marionberry3796
Image credits: Prostock-studio (not the actual photo)
In the update, the woman acknowledged the comments and shared what happened next
OP considered what folks online said and tried to do just that—to communicate with the partner she initially described as lazy and uncommitted. And, well, long story short, even after trying to talk about it, he had the audacity to essentially disregard everything by trying to dump his kid on her to babysit while he went out for a beer.
What was supposed to be a serious conversation about making a relationship work turned into an argument that led to a breakup. You know things are absurd when the mom gets involved and says that she should’ve stepped up and been “a good mom and future wife” (for context, the kid is his, not hers).
Anyway, she went no contact, told him to come get his stuff, and then beat it. OP was relieved that she had dodged a bullet. And folks online approved. The impression everyone got was that he just needed a babysitter with benefits.
The orange peel theory doesn't have to involve peeling an orange—it can be any simple task, but the aim is to see the partner's attitude and commitment
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
For context, the orange peel theory was first broken down by TikToker @neanotmia. It essentially suggested that small acts of service—such as peeling an orange—and a significant other’s willingness to do it are indicative of a healthy relationship.
It doesn’t have to be an orange, of course—in OP’s case, it was braiding her hair and throwing a towel into the dryer. As long as it’s something simple enough to be performed by the person asking to do it.
The idea is to see the partner’s reaction—and based on that, to see if the partner can be asked for bigger favors. It is supposed to reveal their attitude towards the one asking to do the favor and the relationship in general.
It’s believed that the trend became a thing after a text exchange between an ex couple reminiscing about their time together and one of them missing how the other one peeled their oranges in the morning.
Both the author of the post and the commenters think she dodged a bullet by calling it off with the lazy boyfriend
