# Green Line Test

On May 2, 2020, Twitter user @alpharivelino drew green vertical lines over a photo of strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson and his wife Kelsey Henson to argue his slight lean toward her exposed a weak, needy mindset. Critics mocked the thread within days, parody edits spread across Twitter, and the format roared back in April 2022 when TikToker JackMacBarstool applied the test to a picture of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson.

## Origin
On May 2, 2020, Twitter user @alpharivelino posted two side-by-side photos of Icelandic strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, best known as The Mountain in Game of Thrones, with his wife Kelsey Henson. The second image had green lines drawn down each body to show Björnsson leaning toward Henson, captioned 'Don't lean in, strong man!'[2]. The original post reached over 130 retweets and 950 likes[7].

Over follow-up tweets, @alpharivelino argued the posture signaled a 'weak and needy mindset' rooted in what he called 'sexual polarity,' writing that the feminine wants to 'lean into the masculine' and submit to his guidance[3].

- **Platform:** Twitter (origin), TikTok (viral spread)
- **Creator:** @alpharivelino
- **Date:** 2020

## Overview
Users apply the Green Line Test / Don't Lean In format by overlaying straight vertical green lines on two people in a photo and reading who tilts toward whom as a sign of relationship 'polarity'[1]. Earnest posts cast the vertical partner as dominant and the leaning partner as needy, repurposing @alpharivelino's 'sexual polarity' theory even when the caption plays the whole idea as a joke[3].

Parody versions ignore couples entirely. Posters have applied the lines to the collapsing Twin Towers[5] and to classic Loss panels[6], mocking the test's pseudo-scientific logic. On TikTok, a second life for the format produced earnest couple diagnostics and ironic takes side by side, with creators analyzing their own vacation photos next to viral celebrity edits[1].

## How to Use
Creators typically place a straight vertical green line down the center of each person in a two-person photo, then compare how far either line tilts from true vertical. The person whose line stays upright is read as 'dominant,' while the leaner is read as submissive or needy[1]. Comedic versions apply the format to inanimate objects, such as the collapsing Twin Towers[5] or Loss panels[6].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Green Line Test?
A photo-editing format where users draw vertical green lines down two people in a picture to argue that whoever leans toward the other is the submissive or 'needy' partner[1].

### Where did Green Line Test come from?
Twitter user @alpharivelino originated the format on May 2, 2020 with an edit of strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson and his wife Kelsey Henson, captioned 'Don't lean in, strong man!'[2].

### What does Green Line Test mean?
@alpharivelino tied the test to his 'sexual polarity' theory, arguing that a leaning man signals a 'weak and needy mindset'[3]. Body language expert Joe Navarro called the theory 'rubbish' with no scientific basis[1].

### How do you use Green Line Test?
Overlay a straight vertical green line on each person in a two-person photo, then compare which line tilts toward the other; the leaner is read as submissive, while the upright partner is read as dominant[1].

### Is Green Line Test still popular?
Usage spiked twice: on Twitter in May 2020[2] and again on TikTok in April 2022 after viral videos by JackMacBarstool spread the format to couples content[7].

## References
1. [https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/what-is-the-green-line-test-on-tiktok-1822275/](<https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/what-is-the-green-line-test-on-tiktok-1822275/>)
2. [https://twitter.com/alpharivelino/status/1256697210936463362](<https://twitter.com/alpharivelino/status/1256697210936463362>)
3. [https://twitter.com/alpharivelino/status/1257152576073711617](<https://twitter.com/alpharivelino/status/1257152576073711617>)
4. [https://twitter.com/JustinWhang/status/1257145407794286596](<https://twitter.com/JustinWhang/status/1257145407794286596>)
5. [https://twitter.com/MattMcGurn/status/1257148821139750912](<https://twitter.com/MattMcGurn/status/1257148821139750912>)
6. [https://twitter.com/roun_sa_ville/status/1257316797172158474](<https://twitter.com/roun_sa_ville/status/1257316797172158474>)
7. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/green-line-test-dont-lean-in](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/green-line-test-dont-lean-in>)
8. [https://twitter.com/sewcialism/status/1257279451160883206](<https://twitter.com/sewcialism/status/1257279451160883206>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/green-line-test-dont-lean-in
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