Boyfriends might be embarrassing — but count your lucky stars if you’ve bagged yourself a girlfriend.
For weeks now, all anyone can talk about is how embarrassing boyfriends are.
Hiding half-drunken Guinness pints from Instagram, Chanté Joseph’s viral Vogue article revealed that a lot of women purposefully keep their relationship offline.
But if this is what the girls are doing, what about the boys? We know soppy love still exists, so is it men that are leading the charge?
A gender power shift is taking place
Aside from this being a massive win for the girls who like girls, there’s a lot to unpack here.
Dr Stephen Whitehead, a sociologist and prominent feminist, agreed that this is definitely ‘a topical theme right now.’
He tells Metro: ‘The compulsory heterosexual and rigid gender binary 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 “man obsessed”.’
In the blank space, Dr Whitehead suggests that the reverse is now occurring: ‘While women have no reason to brag about having a regular boyfriend, men have every reason to brag about having a regular girlfriend.’
Psychosexual and relationship therapist Kayte Callaghan reiterates this point, noting: ‘As women gain more visibility, status, and economic power online, being partnered with a high-status or high-following woman can elevate a man’s social value – it signals that he has “been chosen.” In 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.’
For decades now, social studies have shown that married men are far happier than their unmarried peers. However, on the other side of the coin, unmarried women live longer and fuller lives.
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.
Dr Whitehead continues: ‘What 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.’
On the hunt for boasting boyfriends, Metro got in contact with two boys desperate to brag about their baddies — here’s what they had to say.
She’s allowed me to be the best version of myself — and I don’t care who knows it
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.
Totally on board with the theory that having a girlfriend is the ultimate brag, Matt launched into a desperately sweet monologue: ‘I’m a bit of a romantic at heart and I think there’s 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’m doing that’s worth posting involves her and hiding her out of that picture would be odd.’
Oh, and a soft-launch, Matt would never: ‘From memory I posted a full on hard launch on Instagram of us on a date at the cricket. It was about a month or so into dating, although in fairness by that point I’d already chewed the ear off of most people about her anyway.’
I was curious to know if Matt had seen the Vogue article, and what his thoughts were — unsurprisingly, he heard about the conversation through the news, aka, Rachel.
‘She first mentioned it, I think there was a TikTok she 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.’
He continued: ‘I’m all for people following their own paths but I just think it’s a little sad that people are actively trying to move away from outwardly romantic love. I believe life is better shared, yes that doesn’t need to be romantically shared, but to set a culture where it’s frowned upon to go: ‘here’s the person that makes me happy and here’s the cool thing we’re doing together’ is a bit sad. If your mates can’t get behind that and be happy for you then what’s the point?’
Speaking with Matt, it’s clear that Rachel is his everything — his ‘companion’ and ‘co-pilot.’ She’s pushed him to do things he never would have, and has supported and made him laugh along the way.
‘I love her, she’s allowed me to be the best version of me — and I don’t care who knows it.’
Something interesting that Kayte notes is how ‘many men have done more work on themselves than previous generations, with unprecedented access to self-help content and therapy.’
She adds: ‘I 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. They are more aware of trauma and attachment wounds playing into backing out of relationships early and fearing commitment.’
I want to see every boy boasting about their girlfriend life like this in 2026.
Having a girlfriend is definitely cool
Reece James Morrison, 29, is a photographer who also happened to first hear about the Vogue article whilst lying in bed next to his girlfriend Blaise.
When asked if having a girlfriend was a flex, Reece’s answer was immediate: ‘For sure it’s 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 great is by your side, and that’s the biggest flex.’
‘Having a girlfriend shows you’ve built trust with someone, and to have that with Blaise is defo a brag.’
For Reece, he’s noticed a shift in recent years where men feel less ‘protective of their emotions.’ He adds, if feeling less embarrassed to be openly affection, grateful, or soppy about your girlfriend is a symptom of that, then great.
‘It shows a kind of emotional confidence that wasn’t encouraged back in day. If you love someone, why wouldn’t you say it?’
And in case you were wondering, he isn’t finished just yet. More soppiness incoming:
‘I’m so much happier with my girlfriend around. She makes my days more warmer, more exciting, but yet more stable. It’s like a mix of comfort and excitement at the same time. She pushes me when I need it, hears me when I’m having low days and her ambition and maturity really helps me align my own priorities when I struggle.’
‘I love loving her.’
A quick round of applause for the emotionally mature men in the room. Boyfriends might be embarrassing, but ones like these can stick around.
It should be noted that, of course, isn’t the entire story.
And while good eggs like these deserve their flowers, there’s nowhere near enough of them — mounting reports of violence against women and general misogyny make that horrifically clear.
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!
