Disturbing new revenge trend exposing exes goes viral

Women are exposing their exes in a new trend that sees them sharing intimate phone messages – with millions viewing the videos.

Women are exposing their exes in a new trend that sees them lip-synching to disturbing voice messages their former flames sent them.

The content of the memos vary, but the viral trend has tended to target allegedly abusive former partners, with the clips – often captioned “I heard we’re lip synching our exes voice memos” – almost instantly amassing millions of views.

Experts have labelled the online trend an “act of revenge”, stating for the women who feel hurt by their past traumatic relationships, it can also feel “incredibly cathartic and healing”.

news.com.au is not suggesting that the allegations made are true, just that they have been made in a public forum.

“These videos go viral because they are so relatable, unfiltered, and vulnerable. Breakups are universal experiences,” Dr. Jenny Woo, creator of 52 Essential Relationship Skills, told the New York Post.

“This stamp of validation that ‘I’ve been there too’ creates a sense of community and collective processing of failed relationships.”

While some viewers claim the videos amount to cyber-bullying, the overwhelming majority of the comments are from people sending their support to those who have opened up, even sharing about similar situations they had been in.

In one TikTok video that has earned 4.4 million views, @_itsqueenxo casually places pimple patches on her face as an audio clip of her sobbing ex plays.

She then posted several follow-up videos with voice messages of her ex appearing to threaten her, before divulging details of what she claimed happened during their three-year relationship.

Women are exposing their exes in a new trend that sees them publicly sharing private voice notes. Picture: TikTok

The 23-year-old, who goes by Queen, explained to the publication that she posted the video to earn money through the TikTok creator fund, in order to pay for the repair of a front tooth she alleges her ex-boyfriend broke when he physically abused her.

“After him going months without fixing my tooth that he broke after saying he would, I just figured I would take it into my own hands and using his [voicemails] kinda helped me feel like it’s my way of making him pay for the wrong he did,” she claimed.

The young woman also said that most of the people who have replied to her videos have shared that they’ve been through similar situations, but “others think that I’m completely wrong no matter what he [allegedly] did to me”.

Queen said that her ex has reached out to her to talk and “find peace” since the videos went viral — but added she refuses to see him.

Experts have described it as a way of seeking ‘revenge’ that can also feel ‘incredibly cathartic and healing’. Picture: TikTok

The videos are almost guaranteed to go viral. Picture: TikTok

“Lip-syncing to exes’ voicemails and sharing it publicly can be a form of emotional release – and, in some cases, emotional revenge,” Dr Woo said.

“This act of turning pain into performance can be incredibly cathartic and healing.”

A stream of videos from women sharing worrying voice messages they allege came from former partners have filled the social media platform in recent weeks, many accompanied by the hashtag “#toxicrelationships”.

One woman shared an audio clip she said she received after her ex allegedly “cheated” on her, in which he can be heard seemingly shaming her for moving on.

While another showed herself dancing to what she called a “crazy” message from her former other half.

‘Cheating’ trends have also been sweeping the internet recently. Picture: TikTok

It comes after another new “cheating” trend started sweeping social media, which sees people outing stranger’s whom they’ve seemingly caught in the act.

But while the videos are almost guaranteed to clock up millions of views, experts have warned there’s an ethical cost to “doing the Lord’s work”, as one tabloid publication described it.

“Being exposed in such a public manner can leave the person who is betrayed feeling embarrassed and publicly humiliated,” Melbourne psychologist Carly Dober told news.com.au.

“Knowing your partner is not respecting you and their relationship can be awfully difficult to deal with, but even more so when everyone on the internet knows your business.

“It may also trigger controlling behaviours in which the betrayed partner will seek revenge or engage in abusive behaviours, as can the person whose actions have gone viral.

“You never know what kind of relationship people have, there is the assumption that these videos hold in which the people being filmed are in exclusively monogamous relationships and we just don’t know that for certain.

“We also don’t know the mental health and emotional resilience levels of the person who is filmed which could have dangerous consequences.”

— With the New York Post

Originally published as Disturbing new revenge trend exposing exes goes viral