Is he a keeper? Put your love to the test Gen Z-style, with these trendy social media challenges
The ultimate test of compatibility isn’t how you get through the hard times — it’s if you pass these TikTok trials of love.
Chronically online Gen Zers have taken to the social media app to demonstrate the many ways to test whether the man you’re with is a perfect match, and while none are necessarily expert-approved, couples are taking the results as bible.
First up is the “orange peel theory.” The trend hinges on the fact that, if your partner performs a small, mundane task such as peeling an orange for you, they will be more likely to care for you.
Scores of TikTokers have participated in the seemingly silly trend on the platform since it first boomed in popularity last fall. Some who failed said they quickly met their romantic demise.
One woman shared on Reddit that she promptly dumped her boyfriend after asking him for months to perform small tasks for her, which he adamantly refused to do. While not performing her requests was not a dealbreaker, the fact that he’s “lazy” was.
Next is the “The Beckham Test,” which experiments with just how in-sync you and your partner are.
Named after David and Victoria Beckham, the test refers to a moment in their hit Netflix documentary in which Posh Spice turns on “Island in the Stream” and starts to dance while David quickly joins in and the pair dance synchronously.
To see if you’re truly on the same wavelength, turn on the tune one night and see if your partner sways along with you — if he does, and is in-step, perhaps it’s true love.
Last fall, the “bird test” also went viral online, as yet another relationship checkpoint to see if you and your honey are really birds of a feather.
“The bird test states that if you’re with someone … romantic or not, if you say something that could be deemed insignificant, and your partner responds with genuine curiosity — that’s a really good sign that your relationship will last a long time,” Alyssa Caribardi, who seemigly coined the term, told her TikTok audience at the time.
But if your partner “blows you off,” she added,” then “that’s a really bad sign.”
Last up is the “strawberry test,” which involves a bit of a riddle.
According to the Daily Mail, you are supposed to ask your partner to picture a field of strawberries growing behind a fence while they’re hungry, then follow with a series of questions: How tall is the fence? How many strawberries do you eat after climbing the fence? What do you say to the farmer who catches you? How do the strawberries taste? How do you feel after taking them without permission?
The fence is symbolic of self control; the taller the fence, the easier it is for them to resist to temptation, meaning it’s less likely that they’ll cheat.
The number of berries is symbolically equivalent to the number of people they can be in love with at the same time, and their response to the farmer’s scolding is how they would react if they were caught being unfaithful. If they feel remorse after stealing the berries, that is likely how they would feel after an affair.
