By: Audrey Ring
The recently published Vogue article, “Is having a boyfriend embarrassing now?,” sparked controversies across social media, but the real controversy is over the true meaning of the feature. The internet did what it always does—took the headline and ran with it.
The headline was designed to grab attention and it did exactly that. Within days, TikTok was filled with women reacting to the title alone. Some laughed at the idea, posting clips with their partner while others defended the article’s true message, saying it made them feel seen and confident.
For those who truly read the article, the true message is clear.
The article isn’t as black and white as saying it is now embarrassing to have a boyfriend; the piece, if read fully, is saying how society’s perception of relationships has shifted. Having a boyfriend now is not looked at as the achievement it once was.
In other words, being in a relationship isn’t “better” than being single anymore. University of Maryland junior Larsen Murray went further than the headline.
“I don’t fully agree that having a boyfriend is embarrassing, but it’s important to reframe being single as an advantage, just as being in a relationship is. Both single and partnered lives have advantages and disadvantages and that’s just how it’s going to be at the end of the day,” Murray said.
Part of the confusion comes from how quickly we consume media today. The provocative headline became, for some, the only thing people saw. Especially on platforms—such as TikTok—few viewers actually went to read the full story; this resulted in people running with the idea that it’s now embarrassing to be in a relationship.
The article also touches on how some creators are shifting away from posting their partners because they lose viewers when they publish relationship content. For UMD sophomore Max Bosworth, he saw the article as damaging and overly analyzed.
“I think that this article shed a negative light on relationships. I don’t think girls care about coming off as overly obsessed, but in terms of social media, they want their profile to be mainly about them and their life and not their boyfriends,” Bosworth said.
The truth is both can exist at one. You can be in a relationship and love yourself. You can value independence without dismissing your partner. The article was never about embarrassment, it was about evolution.
UMD students read the headline, showing that the real controversy over the article wasn’t about debating if it’s embarrassing to have a boyfriend. The controversy is much simpler: having a boyfriend is not embarrassing, but believing a woman’s worth depends on one is the real embarrassment.