An example of one of the entries on Your LL Bean Boyfriend

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.[1] 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.[1] 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.[2] Due to requests from followers, Pride created a companion site called Your LL Bean Girlfriend in January 2013.

Content

"He will build you a table and then have sex with you on it."[3]

-Tagline

The blog features pictures from LL Bean's website in a golden picture frame. Each model is rugged-looking but well dressed in preppy clothing.[3][4] 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" and sea kayaking.[5] 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.[3]

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".[4] Several reviewers have drawn parallels between the blog and the Ryan Gosling "hey girl" meme.[6] The press has used the term to describe Andrew Garfield.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Smith, Jessica (2013-01-22). "Tongue-in-cheek blog gains alumna notoriety". The Temple News. Temple University. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Murphy, Edward (2012-12-06). "Swooning over 'Your LL Bean Boyfriend'". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Blog review: Blog's boys may give boyfriends a run for their money". The Oklahoma Daily. Oklahoma University. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  4. 1 2 Pous, Terri. "Internet Tumblr of the Week: Your LL Bean Boyfriend". Time. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Martinez, Fidel (2012-12-06). "Meet Your L.L. Bean Boyfriend". Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Sarnacki, Aislinn. "Traffic to 'Your LL Bean Boyfriend' website by Cape Elizabeth native explodes". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Lange, Maggie. "Andrew Garfield Will Be Emma Stone's L.L. Bean Boyfriend". New York Mag. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
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