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The recent viral TikTok shoe theory has left Gen-Z netizens frightened that they will get dumped this gift-giving season. The theory derived from an old Chinese superstition claims that gifting a loved one any footwear will end in them breaking up with you.
Many have posted their experiences related to superstition, stating they had gifted their former lovers or partners shoes and were dumped by their significant others. Others are worried about a potential heartbreak since they only encountered the theory after purchasing/gifting shoes. The videos feature Lana Del Rey's Mariners Apartment Complex playing in the background.
With many coming across this claim for the first time, the hashtag #shoetheory has over six billion views on the video-sharing platform.
"I'm never gifting a man shoes again": Twitteratis stand divided on viral superstition
Many internet users have taken to Twitter to share their incidents with the superstition. They commented that they gifted their former lovers footwear at some point and eventually separated. Some of them stated that they would never gift or receive any shoes again.
Here are some tweets seen supporting the theory:
Other internet users strongly dismissed the theory, stating it was "dumb." Many Twitter users commented that they had gifted their partners kicks but didn't break up. They note that footwear is not the cause of separation. Rather, it is their relationship problems and "bad decisions." One user, Ellie, sarcastically stated:
Here are some of the comments seen on Twitter criticizing the superstition:
TikToker Angela Chan, @angelachan, claims that the superstition has its roots in Asian culture, specifically Chinese. According to the South China Morning Post, the word for shoes in Mandarin sounds similar to the word for bad luck or evil, or rough in Cantonese. Therefore, gifting footwear is associated with bringing bad luck.
A Twitter user, @etherevie, claims that there is a counter. She commented:
Other relationship trends that went viral in 2022
There are other couple related trends that went viral on TikTok this year. Since November 2022, "Your Love is Toxic" has become popular. The trend involves TikTokers listing their toxic traits in a relationship while RealestK's song Toxic plays in the background. Soon, this fad encompassed any sort of toxic relationships like those with friends or family.
Another trend that gained traction in September was the "If I was a..." trend. It is a romantic personality quiz where one asks their partners to describe them in a word based on a category, including a season, color, animal, school subject, and planet, to name a few. The TikTok user would then upload a video with an aesthetic collage of various videos and images relating to the answer.
A trend that has broken quite a few relations was the "Mastermind" trend. It first started based on the song Mastermind from Taylor Swift's latest album, Midnights. Users shared how they partly orchestrated their relationship on purpose, with some revealing they lied about themselves or their personalities. As a result of the trend, many couples broke up because they felt manipulated and cheated.
