Boyfriend hauls, where women show off their boyfriends to the camera, describing them like the contents of a Shein or other shopping haul, are all over TikTok. But as a number of Black creators have pointed out, this trend becomes problematic fast when the boyfriend in question is Black.
@bellaszurlej ill try to link where i got him in the comments
♬ original sound – bella szurlej
While the trend might be funny or cute when women are showing off their white boyfriends, though even then many find the whole thing uncomfortable, the history of racism and chattel slavery paints a very different picture when it’s a Black man being presented as an object of sale.
@sunshinelively Replying to @lizzybev1 #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen Repost @cadyebs @youtwotv One of these boyfriend hauls is not like the other #boyfriendhaul #blacktiktok #racism #briannagrier ♬ Spongebob Tomfoolery – Dante9k Remix – David Snell
Black creators have been calling these videos out, explaining exactly what’s wrong with them and how racist it is to present your Black partner as an object that you’ve “bought”.
@xiandivyne #duet with @haiandcrew #boyfriendhaul #fyp #blacktiktok ♬ original sound – Hailey
@mickeythechav #stitch with @Hailey #yallweird #fyp #isaidwhatisaid #thisisgross #cringe #respectyourpartner #bfhaulislame #bebetter ♬ original sound – Mickey The Chav
TikToker NotWildlin even created a satirical video, illuminating exactly how closely these TikToks resemble the slave auctions, and the dehumanization of Black men, of the not-so-distant past.
@notwildlin First time i saw this trend i knew it was going south
♬ original sound – NotWildlin
Despite numerous Black creators calling this trend out for some time now, the boyfriend haul trend is still ongoing, though it’s starting to slow down.
The Daily Dot has reached out to NotWildlin for comment and will update if he responds.
