Tricking your significant other with fruit is not an accurate way to assess your relationship. However, it is an effective means to gain views!
Not only are we a generation that does not value intimacy, but we are also recklessly obsessed with social media and validation, enabling them to control our lives. It's a fact that social media platforms have normalized a wide range of toxic dating behaviors, the most recent of which is the orange peel theory.
The notion is that seeking your partner to do a simple task like peeling an orange is a way to test their admiration and love. You could peel it yourself, of course, but it's sticky, messy, or you are simply feeling a little lazy and so on - so your boyfriend peeling it for you without complaining is a sign of how much he cares. If he says "no" or "do it yourself," you should consider ending your relationship, according to TikTok.
What if your partner prefers to make your morning coffee but dislikes peeling oranges? The orange peel theory reduces a complex phenomenon, such as a relationship, when it is not black and white.
The orange peel theory is the current in the long list of so-called "boyfriend tests" that have gone viral on social media. Some of them are obvious piss-takes, such as asking your partner if they would start dating other people if you split up. (At this point, many boyfriends are seen visibly anxious at the question, before saying something about doing it "after some time". The "correct" reply, of obviously, is that you will not break up! Others are more subtle, or at least strange. The orange peel theory relies on the psychological notion that covert acts of service can improve a relationship's health. This theory claims that if your partner is willing to cater to your smallest needs, they are empathetic to you and love you unconditionally.
If your partner decides to do it without thinking twice, they are madly in love with you; if they decide not to, the relationship is over. My question is: can one orange determine the fate of your relationship? Relationship tests are not truly fair because they do not consider context, circumstance, personality, or intentions and motivations. I understand wanting to check in on your significant other, but there is no reason to be a jerk to them in the process. Why rely on TikTok to determine whether or not you're in a relationship that's going well?
Each of our relationships differs from the one we had previously or may have in the future, so shouldn't it also differ from other people's relationships? My partner may not peel the oranges for me, but he ensures that I have a warm meal as soon as I return home from a long day. If the criteria is that he peels oranges, which he essentially does not fulfill, my relationship is doomed, is not it?
At first sight, this idea appears to be entirely innocent, if not oversimplifying and almost glorifying an innocent act of service. It implies that if your partner is considerate enough to complete this task, they are the ideal partner. But is it so simple to judge romantic relationships and what they stand for? Furthermore, why are we constantly putting our relationships to the test? Why do we prefer these sly tricks instead of communicating about our needs? Why do we feel compelled to identify with what others post on social media platforms? These are the questions we should all be asking ourselves, not whether our romantic partner would peel an orange for us. We all have different ways to show that we care and to demonstrate how equal our relationship is to that of others, we may end up cherishing the small things that truly matter.
