Earlier this week a young couple became the centre of online attention after the girlfriend posted an adorable picture of herself next to her boyfriend who was wearing a T-shirt with her face on it to "ward off" other woman while he went out to enjoy some time with the boys.
According to NewsAU the young woman, Holly Cockerill took to Twitter to post the image of her not-too-happy looking bae, Karl Hennan, wearing the T-shirt with the words "If you're reading this, you've been looking at my man too long and this is how I'd be looking at you if I was here".
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The cheeky T-shirt message then ends with, "Hi, I'm Holly, his girlfriend". See the hilarious tweet below.
Don’t think Karl likes his new top I got him for his birthday x wear it with pride hun x pic.twitter.com/dxUymV8W71
— Holly Cockerill (@hollycockerill) February 1, 2019
Most Twitter users saw this for what it was, an innocent joke, but some seemed to think the young woman was "possessive" and "insecure" and were certainly not about to keep their opinions to themselves. One user commented "One word. Insecure".
#OneWord Insecure ??
— M E ? (@michelleessery) February 2, 2019
Another commented "Being possessive isn't cute hun".
Being possessive isn’t cute hun
— travis (@trxvisweiss) February 3, 2019
While people were blowing the whole thing out of context, some people did seem to find the humour in this uncanny joke and resorted to making fun of the fact that the tshirt had a typo.
it’s—it’s got a typo.... pic.twitter.com/1uYKea7gF3
— areli ?? (@ileraareli) February 3, 2019
And after having a great laugh thanks to this hilarious couple, who by the way, had to calm the masses by clarifying that Karl would not actually be wearing the t-shirt out in public, we spoke to some of our readers to see what kind of crazy things they've done in the name of securing the bae.
READ MORE: A woman celebrates her boyfriend finally getting a divorce
Read their responses below.
"I hid a few items of my underwear all around his apartment"
"I lied to her friends so I could have her all to myself"
"Before I leave my boyfriends place, I spritz a little of my perfume on his bed sheets and clothes"
"I visited a traditional healer and got some herbs that supposedly helps 'keep your man"
The last one might have been the most extreme. To ensure we never have to reach these kinds of levels in the name of love, we spoke to two relationship experts - Paula Quinsee and Shelley Lewin, who shared their thoughts on going to great lengths to keep a partner.
They also gave us some advice for developing healthier relationships.
READ MORE: 13 relationship red flags to watch out for
Paula says, "This is not healthy behaviour. If a partner has to go to these lengths to keep their relationship going, something is not right. Desperate measures usually end up driving you away from each other rather than towards each other as the partner can be experienced as being clingy, insecure, overbearing, controlling, dominating etc.
"A relationship should be built on mutual trust, respect, honesty, communication and being aligned in many ways i.e. being on the same page, having similar interests, sharing similar outlooks, wanting similar things for each other and the relationship e.g a family."
How couples can ensure they have a healthy relationship:
- Learn how to deal with your issues (every relationship has issues)
- Put boundaries in place to protect your relationship and each other
- Respect each other and your relationship
- Set couple goals and actively set out to achieve them together
- Understand that it takes small actions each day to reap big rewards
- Understand that arguments and fights don't mean the end of the relationship but rather an opportunity to learn and grow together
- Ensure communication is at the forefront of everything you do because when there is no communication there is no connection and when there is no connection, things fall apart
- You are not afraid to seek help when you are stuck as you value your relationship and each other
She adds that, "Many couples are afraid to reach out and ask for help when they have hit a speed bump, they feel embarrassed and ashamed and like they have failed. This is normal, every relationship has issued, it takes a brave and courageous person to put their hand up and ask for help."
READ MORE: Five telltale signs your relationship is over
While Shelley had this to say:
"Healthy relationships don’t need either person to play games in order to ‘keep the other person interested’. If you have to resort to game playing, it is not a healthy match or partnership. When we are authentically compatible with someone, we have the freedom to be ourselves and that is enough.
"Literally ‘just show up and be yourself’.
"If that is not enough for your partner, it is a good sign that you are not well aligned. Being compatible is not something we need to work hard at. It is either evident or not. So, if you are working hard to keep someone interested, it is evidence of low compatibility. Move on."
READ MORE: Why a breakup with a friend hurts more than a relationship split
Well there we have it folks. Having to go to extreme measures to secure your person is a no from professionals.
Have you ever done anything outrageous in the name of love?. Write to us about it here.
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