You’re probably already well-versed on the subject of red and green flags—even if you’re selectively color-blind when it comes to avoiding the former. (Guilty as charged!) And while my personal, therapist-unapproved philosophy on the subject (red flags are green flags if your crush is over 6 feet tall) might be the very reason I’m single (it is), if you’re in a relationship, there’s a buzzy new trend on TikTok that perfectly describes your partner’s most interesting quirk: beige flags.
Your partner’s beige flag isn’t a deal breaker (like a red flag would be, à la love bombing or, say, clipping their toenails on the kitchen table) nor does it have to be your favorite thing about them (like their exceptional work/life balance or the fact that they buy you flowers every month on your monthiversary, aka: green flags). It’s simply, as TikToker @averybrynn1 put it, “something that would cause someone to take a three-second pause, and then continue the relationship.” It’s an amusing quirk, trait, or habit that is totally unique to your partner, is unrelated to your relationship, and probably just provokes a sort of huh, okay response. Beige flags are totally harmless—neither good nor bad. They just sort of...are.
In a separate, now-viral TikTok, @ashamedegg pointed out that most beige flag TikToks she’d seen were “mostly just girls describing their boyfriends, actually being loving and comfortable. That’s just a green flag.” And while everyone loves a green flag, she’s not wrong—beige flags, while often endearing, aren’t supposed to be green flags. They’re just things about your partner that are quirky enough for you to notice but not bothersome enough for you to be annoyed by them. They’re also not exciting or admirable enough for you or others to consider them specific personality pros—although loving your partner’s beige flags could be a potential side effect, considering you already love them and all the little quirks that make them who they are. (Cute!)
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Still don’t get it? Here are 15 beige flag examples we sourced from readers that prove your partner’s not the *only* lovable freak out there.
- “Every time we’re on a plane, my boyfriend will order apple juice but only when we’re on planes.” —Nicole, 26
- “He plays video games…like, on the computer.” —Gina, 28
- “My girlfriend’s beige flag is that she eats straight ketchup, like, with a spoon.”
—Bridget, 22 - “My boyfriend (whose feet are double the size of mine) steals my socks to wear as no-show socks.” —Mandy, 21
- “My boyfriend doesn’t like wheeling a suitcase, so he holds it by the top handle instead and carries it…” —Michela, 28
- “My fiancé wears tube socks pulled basically all the way up when he works out.”
—Janie, 28 - “My boyfriend really loves to analyze the smell and flavor profiles of everything he eats. He’ll sniff or taste something, pause for a sec before speaking, and describe what stands out to him. Literally almost every time.” —Vee, 29
- “My girlfriend literally puts my cum on her sunburns…all the time. She swears it works.” —Trey, 23
- “My boyfriend’s beige flag is that he has to have a white noise machine on anytime he’s in his room [not just when he’s sleeping].” —Aly, 26
- “My fiancé’s [beige flag] is definitely that he takes multiple baths a day...like two or three.” —Emma, 27
- “My fiancée does not use condiments, sauce, or dressing at all. She eats her salad dry.” —Mark, 24
- “My partner’s beige flag is that they make their hyperfixations personality traits. Tiny homes? Built one. Coding? Turned it into a career.” —Rachel, 27
- “My boyfriend refuses to get social media but will send me videos or memes from Reddit five weeks after I first saw them on Instagram or TikTok. He also listens to audiobooks while he deadlifts.” —Sophia, 28
- “My boyfriend’s beige flag is that he loves Frappucinos from Starbucks but otherwise won’t drink coffee. He got the new mint one today.” —Camila, 27
- “[My partner] always asks the table next to us what they ordered.…” —Kaylon, 25
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and context.
Megan Schaltegger is an NYC-based writer. She loves strong coffee, eating her way through the Manhattan food scene, and her dog, Murray. She promises not to talk about herself in third person IRL.
