Blending styles can be difficult. Naturally, when two or more people are brought together, their visions aren’t always going to mesh. Like getting a haircut then realizing, after they spin you around for the big reveal, that your barber actually didn’t “totally get” the inspiration photo you brought in. Or teaming up with some friends for a group project in school who you didn't realize were petrified of public speaking. Or, take One Direction for example. Five solo singers who at didn't get along at all at first, brought together only after Simon Cowell corralled them all into a boy band.
This frustrating lack of cohesion is also at stake whenever you move in with someone, whether that be family, a roommate, or a significant other. What kind of couch should the two of you get? (One that’s comfy and big, or something more trendy?) Where should the dining table go? (Up against the window, or tucked away in the corner?) And who’s in charge of doing the dishes?
Sharing a living space can often feel like a Machiavellian thought experiment—a constant dialogue between two people who are both trying to get what they want.
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But I digress. A refreshing new trend is sweeping TikTok, one that tackles this very issue head-on. Welcome to the wonderful world of the “boy and girl apartment."
This trend is perhaps best exemplified by a video from Emma Faye, a.k.a. @emmablogna on TikTok. On screen are the words “boy and girl apartment” and the caption reads “the perfect mix of both of us ♥️ #apartmentdecor #apartmentinspo”.
In the video, she pans over her and her partner/roommate’s apartment: a fun, eclectic mix of decor that clearly represents both parties’ interests and one cohesive vision. There’s a small neon sign on the wall that reads “BADABING!” (surely, a reference to the famed institution from “The Sopranos”) in the living room.
A gorgeous white tulip table is decorated with dainty doily placesettings. A wall of vintage posters hang from the walls. A tiny candle sits next to an even tinier ceramic cowboy boot holding miniature matches. There's even a chocolate-colored Cleveland Browns coffee table book. That video has amassed 1.5 million views and approximately 367K likes. In the comments, users praise the duo’s video, writing “manifesting a space like this with someone I love” and “claiming this energy 🙏”.
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At its best, the “boy and girl apartment” trend creates a harmonious and aesthetically pleasing living space for both parties. These apartments seamlessly blend both partners' unique styles and design sense, while also remaining functional and comfortable.
Looking to create your own “boy and girl apartment” utopia? Here are a few tips and tricks.
- Find the right color palette. Incorporate a color palette that calls to both partners. To get started, HGTV’s design team recommends using a color wheel to find analogous color schemes (a.k.a. colors that live next to each other on the color wheel, like blue and green) to create a more casual and relaxing atmosphere. Or, try using a viral color trend, like “truffle” — a “rich, chocolate-meets-taupe” paint color that Elle Decor describes as “having crept in slowly on the heels of neutrals like flax, oatmeal, and cream.”
- Functionality is key. The “boy and girl apartment” trend is directly tied to another online sensation. On TikTok, videos featuring “boy apartments” have also been on the rise, so much so that Elle Decor wrote about the growing social media phenomenon. “Unlike a bachelor pad or man cave, the boy apartment moves beyond the bare necessities of bro-dom, featuring clean, neutral-toned sofas, thriving houseplants, and meticulously styled coffee tables (complete with actual coffee table books)”, they write. Similarly, the ideal “boy and girl” apartment also employs functionality in creative, unexpected ways, like the chic floor-to-ceiling projector featured in Berlin interior designer @lamaisondeleoniie’s video, which keeps the minimalist space TV and screen-free.
- Express yourself through personal touches. There are entire worlds to be found in the details of these “boy and girl” apartments. In another viral video posted by Andie Jey (@andoej), she walks us through her apartment, which she describes as “the perfect balance of girly vibes and rodeo finance bro aesthetic.” While large pieces and furniture remain relatively nice but generic (there’s a large white sofa and nondescript dark brown coffee table) their place really comes alive in the details: a Vogue Living coffee table book. A rocket-shaped gin decanter. Cute, white flowers in the entryway. Framed black-and-white posters of Harry Styles (for him) and Mick Jagger (for her.) Through personal touches like these, each partner is fully able to express their unique style and taste, without having either one overwhelm the space.
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Representative Image: Making pizzas for hungry people. Pexels I Photo by Jvxhn Visuals
Representative Image Source: Pexels I Photo by Polina Tankilevitch
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21 products that are gaslighting us into thinking they’re essential when they’re not
Some things in life are actually necessary—clean water, decent healthcare, basic human decency. But then there are the things that feel like they’re gaslighting us. The things we’re told we can’t live without, even though we survived just fine before they existed. Things like "smart" fridges, lawn fertilizer services, and yes—whole body deodorant.
Recently, our sister-site Upworthy asked their Facebook audience the question: What's a product or service that feels like it's gaslighting all of us into thinking it's necessary? More than 8,000 responses poured in. The answers were passionate, funny, and surprisingly unified.
Here are 21 products, services, and systems people called out for pretending to be essential—when they might actually be optional, overpriced, or flat-out invented.
1. Whole body deodorant
"Take a shower," said Shannon H.
“How did we ever manage all those years without it!! 😂😵💫” added Karen R.
Others noted it may help people with medical conditions—but for the average person, it's definitely a marketing creation.
2. Health insurance
It topped the list. Erica L. explained: “My doctor prescribes, the pharmacist issues meds, nurses care for people, surgeons do surgery—Health Insurance stands between health care and patients and says no, exclusively on whether they think it’s financially effective to treat you.”
Important note: Health insurance can provide life-saving access for many—but what people are frustrated by here is the profit-first system, not care itself.
3. The wedding industry
Multiple people slammed the high cost of modern weddings.
JoElla B. put it plainly: “We spend too much time and money planning one day, and not enough thought on how to blend two lives in a mutually beneficial one.”
Others called out expensive dresses, venues, and pressure to perform for social media.
4. Bottled water
Carole D. said: “Water in plastic bottles! Get a cup!”
While bottled water has value in emergencies, it’s often just filtered tap water—sold for profit in plastic.
5. Baby product overload
“Most baby products,” wrote Kelli O. “They really aren’t as needy and complicated as companies want us to think.”
6. Fabric softener
“It’s bad for clothes, bad for the Earth, bad for the wallet, and totally unnecessary,” said Gail H.
Some experts agree—many softeners contain chemicals that can reduce fabric lifespan and irritate skin.
7. Smart appliances
“Adding ‘phone controls’ to every appliance instead of making them last as long as they used to,” wrote Sherry S.
When your fridge needs a software update, something’s gone off the rails.
8. Makeup and anti-aging products
“Anything anti-aging,” said Melissa T., “Please just let me age into the gargoyle I was meant to become.”
Others questioned products designed to “fix” eyelashes, eyebrows, pores, and graying hair.
April S. added, “Products that women are convinced they MUST have in order to be ‘beautiful’ and therefore ‘loved.’”
9. Cosmetic surgery
Ron P. called out the industry as a whole. And while body autonomy matters, many commenters questioned whether insecurities are being commodified and sold back to us.
10. Ticketmaster and “convenience fees”
“Let’s go back to waiting in line at a record store,” wrote Nicole C.
Zaida B. added: “Convenience fee for online purchases—then charging $10 more at the actual event.”
11. Engagement rings
James P. didn’t mince words: “Engagement rings.”
The diamond industry has long been criticized for manufactured scarcity and marketing-fueled necessity.
12. Lawn chemicals and services
“Plant native grasses and you don’t have the pests or need for constant watering,” wrote Jamie B.
Environmental groups have raised similar concerns over runoff and unnecessary pesticide use.
13. AI and generative tech
“This stuff squeezes the lifeblood and individuality out of the human experience,” said Teresa L.
Saskia D. and others echoed skepticism about its necessity, even as many of us are being pushed to use it.
14. Funeral services
Amy W. shared: “My parents both have already paid to have themselves cremated and are very adamant that they do not want anything big done for them. In their words, ‘I won’t care, I’m dead.’”
Of course, some families find comfort in tradition—but the cost and pressure can feel overwhelming and predatory.
15. Rinse and repeat
Amy D. nailed it: “It’s just to sell more. Not even sure you need it at all.”
16. Credit Card Surcharges
Shawn S. took aim at the extra fees popping up at checkout: “That is the cost of doing business and shouldn’t be the burden of the purchaser.”
Many questioned why customers are increasingly being asked to pay extra simply for the convenience of using a card.
17. Constant phone upgrades
“Apple are notorious for releasing the same shit every year,” said Steph S.
Diana H. added, “Needing to upgrade our phones so frequently.”
Built-in obsolescence and marketing cycles drive most of the demand.
18. Vitamins and supplements
“If I took every supplement they say I NEED I wouldn’t need food. Nor could I afford it,” said Tausha L.
19. Fake pockets on women’s pants
Jessica W. said, “I have to buy men’s pants for work because women’s pants would just get torn up too fast!”
Form over function, and then they charge more for it.
20. Disposable everything
“The ‘convenience’ of disposable everything,” said Rick R.
It’s killing the planet—and draining wallets.
21. Tipping
“I’m sick of supplementing for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage,” wrote Susan V.
Tipping culture has evolved into something far removed from its original intent, and for many, it now feels like a burden shifted onto the customer.
The bigger picture
People aren’t saying all these things should vanish tomorrow. But when we start seeing convenience sold as necessity, and insecurity turned into billion-dollar markets, it's worth asking: who benefits from all of this?
And more importantly—who pays?
This article originally appeared earlier this year.