Is It Normal If Your Boyfriend Follows Sexy Instagram Models?

If you found out that your boyfriend follows sexy Instagram models, how would you feel about it? Do you think it’s normal or totally out of order?

Imagine, sitting on the sofa on Sunday morning, waking up with a cup of coffee in hand. Suddenly, you notice that your boyfriend follows sexy Instagram models in abundance. How would you feel about it?

I’d half choke on my coffee, if I’m being honest.

For some, it would be a harmless pastime, nothing serious. For others, it would be a total breach of trust.

[Read: Social media and relationships – The good, the bad, and the ugly]

The love/hate relationship with social media

Social media is a true double-edged sword, don’t you think? On the one hand, it’s a useful tool for staying in touch with those far away and watching videos of cute cats. On the other, it’s a hotbed of paranoia, confusion, and in some cases, underhandedness.

Far too many relationships have been ruined by Facebook or Instagram over the last few years. However, you could argue that if that’s the case, there was something a little shaky about their relationships in the first place.

Honestly, I both like social media and loathe it. I don’t think I’m in the minority with that viewpoint.

[Read: How social media is killing your relationship slowly]

What do others think about following sexy models on social media?

What would the majority of people do if they found out their boyfriend follows sexy Instagram models, I wondered. So, I did a straw poll of my nearest and dearest to find out what they would do or think about the issue.

The answers were half surprising and half not.

The majority of people agreed with me. If your boyfriend feels the need to fill his news feed up with half-naked, pouting models, he’s either got way too much time on his hands, or he’s being pretty disrespectful to you. If you have many mutual friends on your social media feeds, especially if you share family on there, it won’t look great.

How he would feel if you filled your feed up with sexy models you liked to ogle over? I get the impression that he wouldn’t like it and would have something to say! [Read: 15 things a guy shouldn’t do on Instagram if he has a girlfriend]

The other people I asked simply laughed and shrugged. They assumed it was nothing more serious than drooling over Brad Pitt in Fight Club or watching Magic Mike.

I can see both sides if I’m honest. But I was keen to find out how guys would feel if the boot really was on the other foot.

[Read: These are the signs of a lack of respect of relationship you can’t ignore]

Your boyfriend follows sexy Instagram models, but doesn’t like it when you do the same

There is a saying, “what’s good for the gander, is good for the goose.” That basically means that whatever you do, you should have no problem with me doing.

There’s some solid thinking behind that. I put this question to my close male friend. I asked him how he would feel if his partner was filling up their Instagram feed with sexy male models. The answer was quite comical. “No way. Not happening!”

I guess that totally puts the goose and gander on completely opposite feet!

The bottom line is this, if you’re fine that your boyfriend follows sexy Instagram models, then that’s great. I assume you trust him completely. Let’s be honest, the chances of him actually meeting one of these models to test out your faith in him are extremely slim. What you should ask yourself is whether he’s just frivolously looking at these models and has no real fixation on them, or whether he’s being disrespectful with it.

[Read: 15 millennial problems that reveal not all in Instagram perfect in our lives]

Let me explain.

If my boyfriend was filing up his Instagram with sexy bikini models, then I would probably start to wonder whether he found those models more attractive than me. Silly, I know. But, it’s girl logic and many of you would do the same. I might even compare myself to them and would always come up short. These models have the art of filtering and great lighting behind them. I do not have those tools. Plus, I do not have a model body.

So, finding out that your boyfriend follows sexy Instagram models might be harmless in terms of the security of your relationship. But what you should question is if it actually impacts your self esteem as a result. Also, does it make your relationship look negative in the eyes of close friends and family members? [Read: The dangers of social media and why it makes us all feel so insecure]

Should you talk to him about it? If it’s bothering you, go for it. In fact, I’d definitely be having a chat about it. Say something along the lines of ‘if it’s okay for you to follow sexy models on Instagram, I’ll do the same with some sexy hunks of my own, okay?’ And I would then look at his face. I guarantee it would drop, cloud over, and probably end in an argument.

The reason?

What’s good for the goose in this case, is not good for the gander. [Read: The most important things in a relationship that help hold it together]

It depends on the couple. The fact your boyfriend follows sexy Instagram models might not bother you, it might bother you a little, or you might be totally consumed with jealousy. I put this to a close male friend of mine, and he told me that if his girlfriend had a problem with it, he would wonder why she felt so insecure.

That’s male logic for you, especially when he told me that he wouldn’t like it if she did it.

We’re going around in circles here, aren’t we?

[Read: My boyfriend likes other girls’ pictures on Instagram – Here’s what you need to do]

So, what should you do?

There is no definitive answer to what you should do, think, or feel if your boyfriend follows sexy Instagram models. You can only decide what your view is. Then, make peace with it. If it bothers you, talk to him and explain how it makes you feel.

You shouldn’t be too concerned about how it makes your relationship look to other people, but he should also understand that you do care about how it appears to your close friends and family members, who may be talking about the situation behind closed doors.

However, I’m all for equality. If your guy is doing it, I say it’s fine for you to do it too. The question here is whether you would want to. Surely following a plethora of sexy models really doesn’t fill the day other than a quick five second look at lunch time? Maybe I’m missing something, but I prefer my guys to be real and not at all airbrushed and Photoshopped to within an inch of their lives. [Read: Instagrandstanding – What it is and how people use this to flirt online]

Models on social media platforms are just figures of your imagination. I bet if you met them in real life, they wouldn’t be half as impressive as their pictures lead you to believe they are. Perhaps your boyfriend knows this. Or maybe he hasn’t even thought about it.

Understanding the blur between real life and social media is key if you want to keep your relationship in a healthy state, and not teetering somewhere towards disaster. Let’s be honest, there are more important things to argue about than airbrushed models on Insta, right?

[Read: The happy couple’s guide to social media etiquette]

If you found out your boyfriend follows sexy Instagram models, would it bother you? Or would you see it as something harmless and unthreatening?