- Social media etiquette in your relationship can be a grey area, but the #1 hardcore rule is that if your ex is still in your profile picture – it's time to update it.
- Fans have noticed Jennifer Lopez deleted traces of her ex-fiancé, Alex Rodriguez, from her Instagram page.
- JLo confirmed her reunion with ex-fiancé Ben Affleck in July.
Eagle-eyed followers noticed that JLo had unfollowed Alex Rodriguez and erased all images of him from her feed, with the move appearing to mark that she has officially moved on from the former baseball player.
JLo deleted pictures of her and Alex from the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden in January but left a video of her performance. The pair got engaged in March 2019 but postponed their wedding twice as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and confirmed their split in April this year.
Later that same month numerous publications reported that JLo was in a relationship with her former fiancé, Ben Affleck, again. The singer and actress confirmed their reunion herself on her 52nd birthday in July.
READ MORE | 'I don't post my boyfriend on social media, and it's affecting our relationship'
The question is: to delete or not to delete photos of an ex on social media?
If you still have photos of you and your ex on social media and haven't given it any thought to remove them, it's no big deal. After all, they're part of your past that arguably shaped you into the person you are today, blah, blah blah.
And often whether the photos are still there or were removed has a lot to do with whether the break-up was amicable, right?
Although for some people, once a break-up happens it's literally the first thing they do.
Take Selena Gomez and The Weeknd, for instance. We were holdings thumbs and thought their relationship had long-term potential, but after just ten months of dating things fell apart and they both started deleting posts of the two of them faster than me untagging myself from an ugly photo.
And then others will delete the photos or posts only when Facebook randomly decides to show them as memories on their timelines.
READ MORE | Why you shouldn't share these 6 things about your relationship with others
However, when it comes to your partner, maybe they fear the fact that you haven't taken the time to remove them means you're still reminiscing about your distant past or, worse, you still have feelings for your ex.
Or is the bottom-line that they're insecure and raises a little red flag? Or, just maybe, their request is totally warranted.
Yes, they were once a part of your life journey so maybe you feel it's not okay that they totally 'disappear'. Those are your memories and you have a right to them.
There's really no big deal about that and it shouldn't be an issue, says Louis Venter, intensive relationship specialist and founder of Couple's Help.
"We meet each other at a certain time in our lives and embrace everything about each other, including our past experiences.
"I therefore think it is very unreasonable for one partner to want to 'erase' their partner's past," adds Venter.
However, Venter also goes on to say that there can come a time when it is probably best to consider your partner's request or discomfort.
"I know some partners struggle with trust issues and fear. If a partner does request that images should be removed, I believe it could do no harm in deleting it for the sake of their sanity and sense of belonging.
"If I love someone, I would make their journey with me as smooth as possible, even if it means deleting images of my ex partner. After all, it's an ex and shouldn't be a problem," he adds.
Is it something worth arguing about? Certainly not, explains Venter.
"Something like this shouldn't end a relationship before it even started. Communicate your needs and feelings with each other. It becomes a problem when it is unconsciously one person feeling controlled and the other not important enough.
"Step out of blaming and shaming and communicate your thoughts, needs and longings in love and kindness."
READ MORE | 5 reasons why the "honeymoon phase" is actually the worst
We asked readers to share their thoughts, and, interestingly, many had contrasting opinions on the subject.
We guess it comes down to this bottom line: when you see those photos, a dark cloud of misery might not come over you, but it would be kind to be considerate towards your S/O.
If your relationship means anything to you, ask yourself: is it really worth it to put up a fight about it?
Additional source: Cover Media
Do you think it's insensitive if your partner doesn't remove photos of their ex on social media? Let us know here.
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