news

'Cloutlighting' is the next form of 'gaslighting' you're seeing everywhere on social media.

A 2016 Youtube video from Brad Holmes has resurfaced this week as ‘cloutlighting’ is becoming worryingly popular online.

Dubbed the next horrible form of ‘gaslighting’, the concept of cloutlighting involves men pulling extreme pranks on their partners and uploading distressing footage on social media with the sole purpose of gaining more followers.

The video originally uploaded to Facebook shows the notorious social media prankster rubbing a sliced chilli on his partner’s tampon, before secretly filming the results.

As well as recording Jenny Davies inserting the tampon, Holmes also captured her pleading for help from her grandmother.

“Nan, my vagina is on fire,” she says, clutching her crotch. “You can feel the heat coming off it.”

She is then filmed attempting to flush her genitals with water, as Holmes laughs and holds up the chilli, triumphantly revealing what he’s done.

You can watch a snippet of the disturbing video below. Post continues after video.

Video by Brad Holmes

The clip, which has been removed from Holmes’ page, proved disturbingly popular on social media, with Facebook users sharing it more than 22,000 times in a single day, and many news outlets reporting on how “hilarious” it was.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, it’s also attracted plenty of negative comments from viewers who believe Holmes has crossed a line.

“Not funny whatsoever and extremely dangerous to your girlfriends [sic] health,” wrote follower Tiffany Edge. “Attention seeking idiot.”

Holmes’ Facebook page, which has amassed close to 2,400,000 followers, contains dozens of videos of him pulling supposedly funny pranks on his partner, his family and friends.

His most recent video features him on bended knee professing his love for Davies.

“I have a question to ask you,” he says pulling out a ring box. “Will you make me a cup of tea?” Inside the box is a single tea bag.

Some of Holmes’ other popular work includes “The dog’s eaten your vibrator”, and “I thought my girlfriend needed a haircut…”

Not one to go quietly, Davies makes her own revenge videos and posts them to the page.

Her most viewed clip? “You cut my hair, so I’ll sleep with your brother.”

Although Holmes and Davies appear to have a back and forth banter relationship, it’s important to note that cloutlighting to increase your social media following, at your partner’s expense, is kind of a form of emotional abuse. In the case of putting chilli on a tampon, it’s also physical abuse.

Let’s not make cloutlighting a thing, OK? We’d much rather see an Instagram selfie any day.

Have you heard of cloutlighting? Do you think ‘pranks’ like this are harmless?