The usage of boyfriends and girlfriends is also practiced these days in nations such as China, Japan, and Thailand, and is gradually reaching India as well. During the recent past, websites in the nation providing such services, particularly during Valentine’s Week or Day, have started to emerge.
Bengaluru recently saw an advertisement for a ‘Rent A Boyfriend‘ service, with posters being circulated in areas like Jayanagar, Banashankari, and BDA complexes. The poster, for rent a boyfriend at Rs 389, features a QR code that is scannable with the caption, “This Valentine’s Day, Rent A Boyfriend, Scan Me.”
The service has evoked public outrage, and local residents expressed their discontent through social media while tagging the Bengaluru Police to act, claiming it goes against the cultural ethos of the city. This is not the first time that these services have existed in India; in 2018, there was a “Rent A Boyfriend” app that came to Mumbai, in which men were hired on certain physical specifications. The practice gained traction in Bengaluru by 2022 and is still getting noticed in other big cities.
