TikToks of men fake-proposing to their girlfriends have divided viewers, who are debating whether the 'prank' is hilarious or just mean

• TikTokers are jokingly getting down on one knee to fake a proposal and posting the reaction online.
• The videos have racked up millions of views and hundreds of comments.

Videos of men staging fake proposals to their girlfriends are blowing up on TikTok, sparking a debate about how funny the stunt really is.

On July 1, a TikToker who goes by Darren Clegg posted a video that showed him and a woman posing in front of a sunset. Clegg could then be seen getting down on one knee and reaching into his pocket before popping back up, laughing, and walking away from the woman who shook her head and smiled.

The caption said that he joked about proposing so much that he thought his girlfriend might not believe him if he actually did.

The video received more than 2.2 million views and more than 260 comments, which were divided on the stunt. While some appeared to find it funny and said the woman seemed to take it well, many more seemed to think that it wasn't a topic that should be joked about and that it could cause upset for the partner, who may have believed it was real.

"The way I'd cry my eyes out," one viewer wrote in a top comment that received more than 4,600 likes, as many more appeared to agree that they wouldn't respond well if this happened to them.

This isn't the first time a fake proposal has blown up on the app in recent weeks.

On June 27, the TikToker Fiona Simpson posted a clip of her at the beach with an on-screen caption saying that her boyfriend fake-proposes whenever they're in a "romantic moment."

The following day, the TikToker Farmer Will received 5.3 million views when he shared a similar video that showed him getting down on one knee in two locations with an on-screen caption that read, "I fake propose whenever we get a random person to take our picture."

In both videos, the TikTokers described the action as a beige flag, internet slang for behavior from a romantic partner that is perceived as neutral, as compared to red flags, which are used to indicate potential issues in a future relationship. But many of the comments beneath each upload vehemently disagreed and wrote this was, in fact, a negative trait.

"This is a red flag to me … do not mess with my feelings like that this is not a joking matter," a viewer wrote in a comment on Will's video that received more than 13,400 likes.

Others warned that their partner wouldn't believe them and might walk away from a real proposal if they kept fake-proposing.

Dating content is hugely popular on TikTok, as creators often share the inner workings of their relationships with the world. Some people are venting to TikTok about their personal issues before they even talk to their partners, Insider previously reported.

Viewers are equally unafraid to weigh in on these topics too. Dating etiquette, in particular, has become a contentious subject in recent months, as comments debate how people should act when they meet someone new.

In March, the TikToker Dafna Diamant was heavily criticized when she said she walked out on a first date because he refused to spend an additional $3 to add cheese to his burger. More recently, a TikToker goes by @winta_zesu received similar backlash in June when she suggested she'd bailed on and blocked a first date because he asked her to hold his drink and wait outside a bathroom.

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