''Your LL Bean Boyfriend'' is a
Tumblr blog showing models from the
L.L. Bean catalog with romantic captions. It was started as a joke but has spawned a companion blog named ''Your LL Bean Girlfriend'' and several imitators. The blog has received praise from reviewers and has been compared to other pieces of Internet culture. The
neologism has been used by the press to describe celebrities.
History
The blog was created in December 2012 by
Maine native Elizabeth Pride.
She joked to her friends that her dream boyfriend was a man who looked like a LL Bean model. She explained that, due to her background as a Mainer, she found "outdoorsy" men in flannel and cable knit sweaters attractive. That night, she started the blog and wrote the first 60 entries.
The blog's following grew quickly; before the end of the first week, it hit 4,500 followers on Tumblr and 25,000 shares on Facebook. Due to requests from followers, Pride created a companion site called ''Your LL Bean Girlfriend'' in January 2013.
Content
The blog features pictures from LL Bean's website in a golden picture frame. Each model is rugged-looking but well dressed in
preppy
Preppy (also spelled preppie) or prep (all abbreviations of the word ''preparatory'') is a subculture in the United States associated with the alumni of old private Northeastern college preparatory schools. The terms are used to denote a perso ...
clothing.
Each man featured is named by Pride and then paired with a quote that a too-good-to-be-true boyfriend might say. These captions are often Maine-specific and refer to stereotypical Maine activities such as "antiquing in
Wiscasset
Wiscasset is a town in and the seat of Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The municipality is located in the state of Maine's Mid Coast region. The population was 3,742 as of the 2020 census. Home to the Chewonki Foundation, Wiscasset is a ...
" and
sea kayaking. Along with the images, Pride converses with followers of her blog, offering tips for finding potential LL Bean Boyfriends and how to spot them. She also receives comments from people who realize that their significant other is the type of person showcased on the blog.
Reception
''Your LL Bean Boyfriend'' was received positively by reviewers. Terri Pous of ''
Time'' described the blog as a "delicious slice of the Tumblr pie".
Several reviewers have drawn parallels between the blog and the
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Thomas Gosling (born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. Prominent in independent film, he has also worked in blockbuster films of varying genres, and has accrued a worldwide box office gross of over 1.9 billion USD. He has received ...
"hey girl"
meme
A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...
.
The press has used the term to describe
Andrew Garfield.
References
External links
*
*{{tumblr, your-llbean-girlfriend, ''Your LL Bean Girlfriend''
American comedy websites
L.L.Bean