Glitter—tiny, sparkly, and notoriously difficult to remove—has become an unexpected tool in the modern dating scene. Women on TikTok have taken to using glitter as a clever, and somewhat mischievous, way to determine whether a romantic interest is secretly married. This crafty tactic has taken social media by storm, with videos racking up millions of views, proving that married men truly do hate glitter.
The trend gained traction after fitness influencer Dalia Grande posted a viral TikTok showing herself spritzing glitter all over her body before a first date. Her reasoning? At her age, many men she encounters could already have wives at home. The theory is simple: glitter sticks to everything and is almost impossible to fully remove, making it the perfect evidence to expose a cheating partner.
Makeup artists and beauty experts have weighed in on the effectiveness of this trick. Liz Olivier, a New York-based makeup artist, refers to it as “the strip club test,” alluding to the classic scenario where a man is caught because of the telltale sparkle left on his skin or clothing after a lap dance. Glitter’s persistence makes it a nightmare for professionals and festival-goers alike—once it’s on you, it lingers for days.
The concept of using makeup to trap dishonest partners isn’t new, but the glitter strategy feels straight out of a revenge thriller. Beth Gillette, a beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, likened the tactic to something out of Promising Young Woman, the 2020 film in which a woman cunningly manipulates predatory men. Even Taylor Swift’s song New Year’s Day echoes the frustration of glitter’s permanence: “There’s glitter on the floor after the party…”
While the trend may seem like a fun and lighthearted experiment, it also speaks volumes about the state of modern dating. The fact that women feel the need to take such precautions to filter out married men underscores the frustration many experience in the dating world. As Gillette put it, “Dating fatigue in the post-pandemic world is so real. Everyone is so frustrated with the lack of options on apps, and when you do potentially match with someone, they all seem so unserious.”
Some TikTok users have gone beyond body glitter, suggesting more strategic placements, such as sprinkling loose glitter on the passenger-side vanity mirror of a car. The idea is that if another woman flips the mirror open, she will unknowingly create a mess—one that serves as silent evidence. Others have taken things further, opting for glitter bombing as a form of revenge, coating an unfaithful partner’s home in the shimmering particles.
However, not everyone is on board with the glitter trend. Environmentalists have long raised concerns about the damage microplastics cause, and cosmetic glitter has already been banned in the European Union due to its potential health and ecological risks. While the U.S. has yet to follow suit, it’s worth considering whether catching a cheater is worth the environmental cost.
For those intrigued by the method, a word of caution: glitter’s stubborn nature doesn’t discriminate. Anyone using it as a trap should be prepared to find themselves just as covered in sparkles as their date. As one TikToker warned, “Joke’s on me—I would forget I did this and glitter myself.” And for those unlucky enough to sit through a bad date? The real punishment might not be the disappointment of an unfaithful partner, but the frustrating task of scrubbing all that shimmer off at the end of the night.