{"id":2248,"date":"2025-12-16T15:20:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T15:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=2248"},"modified":"2025-12-16T15:20:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T15:20:41","slug":"is-having-a-girlfriend-now-the-ultimate-brag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=2248","title":{"rendered":"Is having a girlfriend now the ultimate brag?"},"content":{"rendered":"

For weeks now, all anyone can talk about is how embarrassing it is to have a boyfriend.<\/p>\n

Vogue\u2019s viral article<\/a>\u00a0by Chant\u00e9 Joseph theorised that women are purposefully keep their\u00a0relationship<\/a>\u00a0offline, claiming that \u2018it is now fundamentally uncool to be a boyfriend-girl.\u2019<\/p>\n

But if that\u2019s how the girls feel, what about the boys? Soppy love still exists, and men are leading the charge\u2026<\/p>\n

A gender power shift is taking place<\/h2>\n

Aside from this being a massive win for the girls who like girls, there\u2019s a lot to unpack here.<\/p>\n

Dr Stephen Whitehead, a sociologist and prominent\u00a0feminist<\/a>, agreed that this is definitely \u2018a topical theme right now.\u2019<\/p>\n

He tells\u00a0Metro<\/strong>: \u2018The compulsory heterosexual and rigid\u00a0gender<\/a>\u00a0binary rules which have historically defined the dating game are crumbling fast, not just in the West but globally. We are into a whole new era and Gen Z women especially are busily reinventing femininity away from the traditional presentation of womanhood as \u201cman obsessed\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n

In the blank space, Dr Whitehead suggests that the reverse is now occurring: \u2018While women have no reason to brag about having a regular boyfriend, men have every reason to brag about having a regular girlfriend.\u2019<\/p>\n

Psychosexual and relationship therapist Kayte Callaghan reiterates this point, noting: \u2018As women gain more visibility, status, and economic power online, being partnered with a high-status or high-following woman can elevate a man\u2019s social value \u2013\u00a0it signals that he has \u201cbeen chosen.\u201d\u00a0In this context, being accepted by a woman, particularly one who is socially or culturally valued, becomes a marker that a man is safe, evolved, and relationally capable.\u2019<\/p>\n

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For decades now,\u00a0social studies<\/a>\u00a0have shown that married men are far happier than their unmarried peers. However, on the other side of the coin,\u00a0unmarried women<\/a>\u00a0live longer and fuller lives.<\/p>\n

So while it would make sense for women to retreat to blessed singledom, men fare much better when they have a woman at the centre of their universe.<\/p>\n

Dr Whitehead continues: \u2018What this reveals is the gender power shift now taking place, with women becoming dominant not just in society but crucially in relationships. Women are driving this gender revolution, not men, and the effects are going to be profound and long-lasting. Expect to see men increasingly using social media to celebrate having a girlfriend.\u2019<\/p>\n

On the hunt for boasting boyfriends,\u00a0Metro\u00a0<\/strong>got in contact with two boys desperate to brag about their baddies \u2014 here\u2019s what they had to say.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s allowed me to be the best version of myself \u2014 and I don\u2019t care who knows it<\/h2>\n

Matt Johnston, 28, met his girlfriend Rachel on Hinge in 2023 and was practically frothing at the mouth to talk about her, an always delightful surprise.<\/p>\n

Totally on board with the theory that having a girlfriend is the ultimate brag, Matt launched into a desperately sweet monologue: \u2018I\u2019m a bit of a romantic at heart and I think there\u2019s nothing that brings me joy more than actively flaunting how clever, funny and hot my girlfriend is. She makes me happy, and quite frequently anything I\u2019m doing that\u2019s worth posting involves her and hiding her out of that picture would be odd.\u2019<\/p>\n

Oh, and a soft-launch, Matt would never: \u2018From memory I posted a full on hard launch on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0of us on a date at the cricket. It was about a month or so into dating, although in fairness by that point I\u2019d already chewed the ear off of most people about her anyway.\u2019<\/p>\n

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I was curious to know if Matt had seen the Vogue article, and what his thoughts were \u2014 unsurprisingly, he heard about the conversation through the news, aka, Rachel.<\/p>\n

\u2018She first mentioned it, I think there was a\u00a0TikTok<\/a>\u00a0she was watching in reply to it. I then stumbled on the article and read it. I think actively shunning\/muting boyfriend-ed people is a little harsh, although I can follow the thread as to why it might be in Vogue.\u2019<\/p>\n

He continued: \u2018I\u2019m all for people following their own paths but I just think it\u2019s a little sad that people are actively trying to move away from outwardly romantic love. I believe life is better shared, yes that doesn\u2019t need to be romantically shared, but to set a culture where it\u2019s frowned upon to go: \u2018here\u2019s the person that makes me happy and here\u2019s the cool thing we\u2019re doing together\u2019 is a bit sad. If your mates can\u2019t get behind that and be happy for you then what\u2019s the point?\u2019<\/p>\n

Speaking with Matt, it\u2019s clear that Rachel is his everything \u2014 his \u2018companion\u2019 and \u2018co-pilot.\u2019 She\u2019s pushed him to do things he never would have, and has supported and made him laugh along the way.<\/p>\n

\u2018I love her, she\u2019s allowed me to be the best version of me \u2014 and I don\u2019t care who knows it.\u2019<\/p>\n

Something interesting that Kayte notes is how \u2018many men\u00a0have\u00a0done more work on themselves than previous generations, with unprecedented access to self-help content and\u00a0therapy.\u2019<\/p>\n

She adds: \u2018I think that we are seeing a gradual shift away from classic commitment-phobia narratives, as men become more relationally curious, reflective, and open to long-term partnership.\u00a0They\u00a0are more aware of trauma and attachment wounds playing into backing out of relationships early and fearing commitment.\u2019<\/p>\n

I want to see every boy boasting about their girlfriend life like this in 2026.<\/p>\n

Having a girlfriend is definitely cool<\/h2>\n

Reece James<\/a>\u00a0Morrison, 29, is a photographer who also happened to first hear about the Vogue article whilst lying in bed next to his girlfriend Blaise.<\/p>\n

When asked if having a girlfriend was a flex, Reece\u2019s answer was immediate: \u2018For sure it\u2019s a brag! My girlfriend is gorgeous, funny as hell, emotionally mature and really loving; but more-so than that, having a girlfriend is cool because someone genuinely\u00a0great is by your side, and that\u2019s the biggest flex.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Having a girlfriend shows you\u2019ve built trust with someone, and to have that with Blaise is defo a brag.\u2019<\/p>\n

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For Reece, he\u2019s noticed a shift in recent years where men feel less \u2018protective of their emotions.\u2019 He adds, if feeling less embarrassed to be openly affection, grateful, or soppy about your girlfriend is a symptom of that, then great.<\/p>\n

\u2018It shows a kind of emotional confidence that wasn\u2019t encouraged back in day. If you love someone, why wouldn\u2019t you say it?\u2019<\/p>\n

And in case you were wondering, he isn\u2019t finished just yet. More soppiness incoming:<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m so much happier with my girlfriend around. She makes my days more warmer, more exciting, but yet more stable. It\u2019s like a mix of comfort and excitement at the same time. She pushes me when I need it, hears me when I\u2019m having low days and her ambition and maturity really helps me align my own priorities when I struggle.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018I love loving her.\u2019<\/p>\n

A quick round of applause for the emotionally mature men in the room. Boyfriends might be embarrassing, but ones like these can stick around.<\/p>\n

It should be noted that, of course, isn\u2019t the entire story.<\/p>\n

And while good eggs like these deserve their flowers, there\u2019s nowhere near enough of them \u2014 mounting reports of\u00a0violence against women<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0general misogyny<\/a>\u00a0make that horrifically clear.<\/p>\n

But, in cultural moments like these, spotlighting gems like Matt and Reece can do some good. Because what it hopefully might do is encourage men to celebrate the women in their life just like these two do. Get to loving boys!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For weeks now, all anyone can talk about is how embarrassing it is to have a boyfriend. Vogue\u2019s viral article\u00a0by Chant\u00e9 Joseph theorised that women are purposefully keep their\u00a0relationship\u00a0offline, claiming that \u2018it is now fundamentally uncool to be a boyfriend-girl.\u2019 But if that\u2019s how the girls feel, what about the boys? Soppy love still exists, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t