Influencers have a notorious reputation online. Just the word alone makes some people immediately disregard anything and everything that pertains to said influencer, even if they are a good influence on people. Just a case of that one person ruined it for everyone.

Well, in this case, it was actually a person who ruined it for everyone, namely for a couple who could only take pictures in a particular stance all because there was a non-zero chance of the husband looking like a simp.

You’d be surprised how much influence influencers have, despite the notorious reputation that surrounds the concept

Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages / envato (not the actual photo)

Still, a couple was significantly affected by the idea of this one conservative influencer that it’s the woman who needs to lean on the man in photos

Image credits: nunezimage / envato (not the actual photo)

Image credits: RDNE Stock project / pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: twy_husin

The new leaning dynamic led to a bit of a fallout for the couple, culminating in some derogatory names being thrown out

The story goes that a Redditor recently had a fallout with her boyfriend over him pushing for particularly positioned photos. Turns out, there’s some “conservative” influencer who roasts couples with particular leaning angles in photos, calling the men simps if they do not conform to code.

Well, sure enough, the husband started to demand conformity to code by having his wife lean on him ever so slightly when she had no desire to do so, while he stood straight. Supposedly, this was a sign of manhood. Or something.

For the most part, folks on Reddit were siding with OP on this one. Not only was her husband exhibiting signs of insecurity and immaturity, but went on to say that this is a certain kind of radicalization that this influencer is doing. While it can go in any direction, it is a sensitive issue in any case.

There was a contingent of people who were very critical of the guy, pointing out that he might have not been as sweet as he seemed considering his current actions—he was just some diabolical genius. But there were also folks who did see OP’s fault in this. Not the calling names part, but actually marrying someone like her husband.

The theory behind drawing green lines on couples originated on X (back then, Twitter) and psychologists say it has zero validity

Psychologist Nancy Sokarno discussed this phenomenon in the NY Post saying that there is no validity to the theory behind the green lines.

The theory is supposed to determine if a heterosexual relationship will last based on the leaning dynamic in a couple: if neither person is leaning, then it’s a long-lasting relationship; if the woman is leaning, then it’s sometimes a lasting relationship, and if the man is leaning, the relationship is doomed.

Well, Sokarno explained that photos alone can’t really tell you much about any relationship. While you can argue that the theory is based on body language, folks have to remember that there are many other factors to consider as well.

Consider the context in which the photo was taken—who is being photographed, are they alone, do they know they’re being photographed—that alone says that a picture can’t determine the relationship dynamic.

All things considered, body language is only a part of all of the factors to consider. It’s also about how the partners treat each other, what their emotional communication is like, how they approach conflicts—that rarely translates in a photo, let alone is actually visible in public as some couples might keep those aspects of their personal dynamics private.

And if this isn’t enough evidence, it was reported that the X account that originally suggested this theory was communicating sexist ideas with zero credibility on the regular. Another day on the internet, I guess.

So, what are your thoughts on any of this? What’s your leaning dynamic in photographs? Share your takes and stories in the comment section below!

The woman in the Reddit story provided more context by answering people’s questions in the comments

Most folks argued that the woman was not at fault, even if she snapped

Others shared suggestions on how to move forward from here, sharing their feelings about it all

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