Worried Girlfriends Won't Buy Their Boyfriends Shoes For Christmas Because It Could Mean The End Of Their Relationships
Do shoes for Christmas mean you'll be single in the new year?
Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock Shopping for the perfect Christmas gift for your significant other can be a difficult task, especially if you're a woman having to find something for your boyfriend.
Men can be notoriously hard to buy gifts for, but universally, most enjoy a pair of new shoes, and you can't go wrong with that. Or can you?
A new viral TikTok phenomenon called the "shoe theory" has many girlfriends reconsidering that option.
What is the relationship 'shoe theory' that has women second-guessing what they buy their boyfriends for Christmas?
The online "theory" that has blown up on TikTok claims that if you buy your boyfriend a pair of shoes for Christmas, it will cause them to dump you shortly afterward.
A slew of women have posted videos talking about how a lot of their failed relationships seemed to happen shortly after buying their boyfriends a shoe gift.
A frenzy of warnings and cautionary tales popped up on social media, and #shoetheory has started trending with over 31.9 million views total on TikTok. One content creator named Jessica Geary explained that she proved this theory to be right.
"I bought my ex-boyfriend shoes for Christmas, and guess what? He left me a couple of months after," she recalled. "I'm not bothered now, but I'm just saying. Maybe this theory is true. Now do I need to burn the shoes I have got my boyfriend for Christmas?"
The theory is said to be rooted in Chinese culture and superstitions.
A content creator named Angela Chan provided some insight into the viral "shoe theory," telling viewers that this theory was something she grew up hearing about from her Chinese mother.
"I have been hearing about the shoe theory from my mom since I was young. It essentially says that if you gift someone a pair of shoes they will eventually walk out on you," Chan said. "In other words, you don't really wanna gift your significant others or your loved ones a pair of shoes because that means destiny for your breakup or your relationship might eventually fizzle out."
The origin of the theory comes from Chinese culture, and the word for shoes in Mandarin sounds the same as the word for bad luck. Chan recommended skipping shoes as gifts for Christmas.
Similarly, Hillary Wichlin explained that her immigrant mother used to tell her the "shoe theory," which she didn't realize wasn't prominent in American culture. Whenever Wichlin experienced a breakup during her youth, her mother would blame the bad luck on the shoe theory.
"I used to even intentionally buy my boyfriend's shoes to test this theory out and let me tell you, I don't know if this is a myth. I do not know if this is just Chinese legend, but I will tell you every boyfriend that I ever bought a pair of shoes for — we did break up," Wichlin said.
Photo: Syda Productions / Canva Pro
Now, Wichlin has been with her boyfriend, Sam, for four years, the couple is even engaged, and she has never purchased a pair of shoes for him. Whether or not that's the secret can't be proved, but it does seem like a rather odd coincidence.
In comments underneath both Wichlin and Chan's videos, multiple TikTok users agreed with this theory and recalled times when their relationships ended after buying shoes for their partners, while others claimed that after buying a pair of sneakers for their boyfriends, the relationship didn't change and they're still together.
Whether or not there is water to this theory, it could be something that brings comfort to people who are going through a breakup. Most of the time, relationships can end without clear answers or closure, and this "shoe theory" could be a comforting narrative for some individuals to have.
Still, maybe think twice about buying your partner those pair of Nikes that you hope would make a good gift.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.