Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

The ‘Granny Panties Theory’ Says This Is What True Love Actually Looks Like

The viral relationship theory says real love is feeling safe enough to be fully yourself, flaws, bad days, granny panties and all.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

If you’ve ever been in love—I mean really, truly in love, not just infatuated with someone you find attractive—you’ll know that it runs deeper than the physical chemistry. 

In a relationship, there will be days when you’re not feeling well, or your partner isn’t in the best headspace. Together, you’ll encounter moments of grief, anxiety, and even doubt. It’s through these phases that you get a glimpse of your partner’s true colors and genuine feelings for you.

If someone is only around for the “pretty” and “flattering” parts of your life (celebrations, glamorous date nights, etc.), it’s difficult to tell whether their love is real. Are they there when shit hits the fan? When you’re exhausted after a long day of work? When you’re bedridden with an illness and sleeping in the same pajamas for a few days straight? When you’re so beyond stressed that you’re not in the mood to be intimate?

According to the internet, there’s a theory that outlines the realities of love and........

© Vice