Are you and your boyfriend both active on social media like Instagram? Media accounts have been known to be a detriment to relationships, if treated unfairly. If you’re starting to question your partner’s activity online, you’re probably thinking is it okay for your boyfriend to like pictures of females.
Before you decide if your boyfriend’s online behaviour is warranted or not, you first need to consider a few factors. Once you’ve gone through these, you’ll be able to make a conscious decision.
In this article, we’ll help you do just that. We’ll delve into what makes it okay for your boyfriend to like pictures of other females, as well as when it should not be accepted. We’ll also guide you on what you should do if you’re feeling uncomfortable about his actions.
Is it ok for my boyfriend to like pictures of females?
It is okay for your boyfriend to like pictures of other females. Before you jump to conclusions, and think that your better half is no longer interested in you, or he’s looking elsewhere, you need to consider that it’s perfectly normal for people, whether single or in a relationship, to look at other attractive people.
Men are naturally visual individuals. Previous studies have already confirmed that males respond differently when their brains are stimulated through images, as opposed to women.
Did you know, our emotions are activated from a small little nugget in our brain called the Amygdala. In research, males amygdala’s had higher activity as opposed to women’s when both gender’s looked at attractive images.
When we get into a relationship, we seem to think our partner will no longer have the ability to notice an attractive picture on Instagram or Facebook. Whether their double-tapping on other girls’ pictures or not, it should not be what you base the success of your relationship on.
We created a poll on the forum GirlsAskGuys to find out from the public what they think about liking other females pictures.
Here’s what we found;
60% of women said that they would be cool with their boyfriend liking other girls pictures, with the remaining 40% confirming they would not be okay with it all.
Some of the comments include;
- ‘Doesn’t really mean anything. Even if it means that he finds them attractive, so what. Being in a relationship doesn’t mean you don’t find anyone else attractive. And just finding someone else attractive doesn’t mean they are going to cheat or such.’ –MegaMachina, age 28
- ‘I don’t mind if they’re people he actually knows. But it’s not cool if they’re just hot randoms.’ – TacosRAwesome, age 32
- ‘If he is the type who likes Instagram models, I am really not into that to start off with. Not sure that is the type of man I’d be in a relationship with. But if he is not really superficial besides that, maybe it is fine. If he likes pics of his friends, who happen to be girls, then I don’t mind at all.’ – Anonymous, age 30-35
- ‘It doesn’t bother me. It’s not like as soon as a guy is in a relationship he has magical blinders to attractive women. Everybody looks from time to time.‘ – Mandyfire98, age 23
From this, we can see the majority of women don’t think there’s anything wrong with their boyfriend’s liking another girls pictures. As long as it’s being done within reason.
However, everyone will have their own opinions on it, and for some, their partner reacting to someone else’s content can be a big Red flag, or cause conflict in their relationship.
When is it not okay for my boyfriend to like pictures of females?
It won’t be okay for your boyfriend to like pictures of other females if he’s doing so because he wants to let the girl know that he’s interested. Of course, you cannot assume this straight away. Does your partner leave comments on other women’s images? Is it only just one specific account he reacts to, or is it multiple?
There’s many different factors that will come into play when it’s deemed not okay for your boyfriend to like someone else’s pictures.
Firstly, you need to take a look at your relationship as a whole. Do you get enough attention from him? If you don’t, this could be the reason behind why you perhaps feel jealous when you see he’s reacted to a post that’s not you own.
Let’s face it, social media can have an extreme negative impact on a relationship. It can reduce quality time spent together, and cause an increase in conflict. Researchers have found that Instagram usage can result in lower satisfaction between couples. As well as a higher outcome of negative emotions.
Your reaction could be a warning sign that there may be an underlying issue within your relationship that you need to address.
From the forum, it was brought to light what type of pictures are a no-no for a man in a relationship to like;
- ‘I think it’s fine. I do get uncomfortable if he likes pictures of thirst traps though, like booty pics of IG thots and stuff like that.’ – Anonymous, age 25-29
We can’t generalise what every women or man is going to think on this matter, however, we can see that there is a fine line between what’s okay, and what’s disrespectful to your partner.
Why does my boyfriend like other women’s pictures?
Before you point fingers at your boyfriend, do you like other guys’ pictures? If you do, think about the reasons behind the double tap in the first place. Social media accounts nowadays are used for people to grow their businesses, increase their engagement and market themselves. A like on one of your friends picture’s could just be to show your support.
Your boyfriend could be doing the exact same. If he’s liking a girl’s picture, is it his friend? There’s nothing wrong with reacting to a mates post, whether it’s a scenic picture, or one where they’re flaunting their beach body.
Other reasons why your boyfriend likes other women’s pictures include;
1. He’s not thinking about it
Do you ever find yourself aimlessly scrolling through your Instagram feed, just liking every new post that crops us?
Yip, this happens, and your boyfriend could be doing this, without putting any thought into who and what he’s reacting to.
2. It’s no big deal to him
Your boyfriend may assume you wouldn’t care because he doesn’t think it’s a big deal. If it doesn’t bother him when you like other guy’s pictures, he’s probably assumed you feel the same.
If you haven’t spoken to him about how you feel about him liking other girl’s pictures, it won’t cross his mind that you have an issue with it.
(Did you know; 23% of couples who have social media have said they feel uncertain in their relationship because of how their partner has interacted with someone online).
3. He thinks she’s attractive
We still look when we’re in a relationship. It’s a natural human instinct to notice an attractive person. This does not mean your boyfriend is looking to commit infidelity, or break it off with you.
If he’s liking a woman’s picture, it may simply be because he thinks she looks nice. There does not need to be a hidden agenda behind it.
What to do when your boyfriend likes another girl’s picture
If it makes you feel insecure when your see your boyfriend liking another girls pictures, the best thing for you would be to talk to him about it. Guys can be much simpler than girls. They don’t necessarily put in as much thought into something as women do, which is why he may not see double tapping another ladies post as an issue.
Before you initiate a conversation with your boyfriend, you first need to ask yourself why does it make you feel a certain way. Are you jealous because you want to control him, or does it make you question his commitment to you and the relationship?
Have you previously seen something on their social media that bothers you? Does your boyfriend still react to his ex’s pictures? Does you boyfriend never post you on his own social media?
Studies have found that constantly checking up on your partner is connected to conflict. It causes insecurities that weren’t previously there, and will make you question their loyalty.
Once you understand why you feel negative emotions, you can broach the subject with him. Let him know how his actions affect you.
From here, you’ll need to take note of how your boyfriend responds. If he understands and confirms he’ll be more conscious of the content he’s liking, he was most likely innocent in his activity on social media. If, however, he becomes defensive, and thinks you’re being out of line, he’s not taking your feelings into consideration. This could be a Red flag for your relationship.
FAQ
Social media can create a gap in a relationship if it’s used excessively. It can interfere with quality time spent together, and how well partners communicate with one another. 51% of partners have said their boyfriend/girlfriend have been distracted by their mobiles when they’ve tried to have a conversation.
Is it normal for guys to look at other pictures of females?
This is normal. Women will look at pictures of guys, just as much as a man would. This will become an issue if it starts to effect your relationship. If you feel like your boyfriend is flirting with other women over social media, you will need to address this with him.
Conclusion
Just because we’re in a relationship, does not mean our partner’s will not look at other men or women. It’s natural and perfectly normal. This, however, will become a problem if your boyfriend decides to take further action.
There are many reasons why your boyfriend may be liking another woman’s picture. Is it a friend, or perhaps he wants to show his support. Whatever the case may be, if it makes you feel uncomfortable, you should speak to him about it.
How your partner responds will help you determine whether he prioritizes your feelings or not. If he makes a conscious effort to not like other girls pictures after you had a conversation, this can confirm he didn’t have any bad intentions. If, however he becomes defensive, this may be a Red flag in your relationship.
(Quiz Question; what percentage of couples have felt unsure in their relationship because of social media?). Send us your answer in the box below.