Social media trends come and go and it is always interesting to see the ones that linger and trigger online conversation.
The ‘Black Wife Effect” was started by Kolter Bouchard on TikTok who praised his wife Dom for his ‘upgrade’.
The video garnered over 4 million views on the app.
On his video he showed pictures of his style before meeting his wife and after meeting her.
Saying:
“The Black wife effect is real, okay. This is something that needs to be studied in universities.”
“I don’t believe in much, but I believe in the Black wife effect, and soon you will too.”
Roasting his previous looks he said:
“I look like if Machine Gun Kelly was anemic. I look like Water Gun Kelly,”
“How do I look like a little boy and an old woman at the same time? This should be an illegal build.”
“Who parted my hair, Moses?” he stated.
Then he showed his new look after his lady entered his life:
“Enter the Black wife, which I do every chance I get,” he joked.
Watch:
It wasn’t long before other creators joined in to show their own transformations!
These black wife effect videos on TikTok have me smiling. It’s true!
We season everything. ???? The right black woman can elevate you. The glow up in this video! ????#blackwifeeffect https://t.co/hU3Y6Pkp3E pic.twitter.com/dvx81FEfdI
— ???? Regina Walton ???????????? (@ReginaWalton) May 9, 2024
and
The Black Wife effect on tik tok tho…. Immaculate. Cause what in the Channing Tatum! pic.twitter.com/BuNMgViBO9
— Justin The Perfumer (@JustinBPerfumer) May 6, 2024
Same sex couples even hopped on the trend:
It ain’t just about White men, that’s discrimination. White women are posting the “Black wife effect” challenge too. https://t.co/ZSeTu7LNH7 pic.twitter.com/wwU8OV8Qn7
— SADDLE UP BITCHES ???? (@empresskalani) May 8, 2024
Social media weighs in on the positive and the negative aspects of the trend
On Reddit one user said the trend gave her the ‘ick’:
My partner (white) and I were discussing the “Black Wife Effect” on TikTok, and for some reason, I found it bittersweet. As in, it gave me the “ick” and also made me feel a little seen. I have reservations about the trend not because black women are showing off all the improvements their partners have made, but because it seems like… it’s such a popular trend for Black women to “fix” their partners.
My partner asked me if the trend was a spin on the mammy trope, and I just felt a little gross thinking about the similarities. My partner has also seen a marked difference in his health, physical appearance, and confidence since we started dating, which I love. But seeing that this is a common thing maybe confirms my negative bias when it comes to women fixing their partners and taking on the burden of raising them. I don’t know; I’m young and a little jaded since I watched my own mother do the same thing for my father, and I don’t want to repeat those mistakes.
The #blackwifeeffect on the clock app is eye opening. pic.twitter.com/4Eq55f92PV
— BOTUS (@BlkonBlk_Tiff) May 5, 2024
and
Cus the effect these Black Women be having on these White men really just be Black Women “niggafying” their white partners. You gave this white man, black male swag/aesthetics. You took him to a black barber, and got him a few pair of Jordan’s and cargo pants. Like… pic.twitter.com/SrrxXMFCAr
— Cindy Noir✨ (@thecindynoir) May 6, 2024
One user made the point that the ‘black wife effect” is not just for other races, black men go through it too!
@7am.thepoet Your woman is going to try and chatyou regardless. This is why I’m convinced God is a woman. #blackwifeeffect #bw #blackwife #wifelife #blackwomenoftiktok #womenoftiktok ♬ original sound – First Time Father
One Reddit user said it’s only natural for “ALL women” to improve their partners.
It’s not just a bw thing. Men often improve vastly while in relationships. Statistically, men are happier and healthier in marriages. Typically, women contribute to the wellbeing of relationships by extending their own self-care practices to men, resulting in men taking care of themselves better.
Definitely not exclusive to bw.
and this point was interesting as well:
Definitely agree, I feel it’s in our nature to “nurture” our partners in relationships as women which can transition into a “glow up”.
I do think though aiming it as a black woman thing can enhance the fetishization that bw already receive. If we’re going to engage in this challenge, it shouldn’t just be the bw glow up challenge, but just a general my gf/wife glowed me up type of thing.
With that said are you here for the “Black Wife Effect” Trend, do we need to think piece this to death.
What’s gonna happen if they start the ‘white wife effect’?
This is the winner of the black wife effect now y’all can stop this challenge before they start a white wife one and piss us all off pic.twitter.com/TKVfgDGOfK
— Tummy Tuck Tech (@JuiceyB_25) May 9, 2024
