A few days ago, my boyfriendâs close friend liked a picture of mine on Instagram, an old post. I got curious and asked, and it turns out my boyfriend sent it to him saying, âThis is my girlfriend.â When I heard this, I felt a bit weird. Is this a sign of trust or is it an invasion of my privacy? Do you think Iâm overreacting? Is this kind of thing normal?
My girlfriend once showed a picture of me to her friend, saying, âlook, this is my boyfriend.â I was a bit taken aback at first, wondering why she felt the need to do that. But then I realized, it can sometimes be a matter of pride. I donât think itâs necessary to blow it out of proportion if thereâs no ill intent.
I personally didnât find it very normal. After all, itâs not really a nice gesture to take someoneâs old photo and send it to someone else. If youâre thinking of it as a sign of trust, then why didnât they ask for your approval? It seemed a bit strange to me.
Research on the boundaries of private life suggests that in such situations, clear communication is essential for both parties. In a relationship, especially when sharing images of others, it is important to always obtain explicit consent. You can openly tell your partner that you feel uncomfortable and ask why they did something like that.
Let me add that when he sent the photo, he didnât have bad intentions. He just sent it while saying âthis is my girlfriendâ in passing. But honestly, I thought he found my discomfort strange, wondering if I was being too sensitive 
I think itâs a bit weird. Because Instagram is already a public place for everyone. I could understand if you shared your story or something, but taking an old photo and posting it with âmy girlfriendâ⌠I mean, isnât it enough to just say âI have a girlfriendâ while talking?
Honestly, I never found that normal. Youâre getting involved in a special sharing, and then showing it to a friend. What could they share tomorrow or the next day? Such things can lead to serious discussions within the family; one has to know the boundaries in a relationship.
Something similar happened to me too. My girlfriend sent an old photo of me to her cousin on Whatsapp. I seriously worried about it so much that we argued for weeks. Turns out her intention was just to show me off. So, in these kinds of situations, it all comes down to the intention behind it.
Thereâs another issue here. Why is he sending an old photo? Wouldnât it make more sense to just open his profile and show it? Maybe a friend asked him something related to you, and thatâs why he chose this route. Donât jump to conclusions without finding this out.