Tall, dark and handsome might be some people’s ‘type on paper’, but lately there’s a new tick-box in dating town. Get used to Big Tank Energy.
As people panic buy petrol all over the country, fuel has become the newest flex. With great shortages come great demand. And of course people are capitalising on the opportunity. Showing off your full tank is all the rage right now.
Dancer and content creator Tega Alexander alluded to the flex on a recent TikTok satirising the shortage. The parody video creator showed off “the new way to move to girls” in a TikTok that’s been viewed more than 700,000 times.
And it turns out he’s not alone in flexing with his fuel. Many others have also taken to social media to gas about their ... well ... gas.
Whether or not, the flex is functioning as it wants to remains to be seen. One person quipped on Alexander’s TikTok: “Oh my, a full tank, swoon,” while another joked: “Girl, he had a full tank and everything.” Another added: “How are we meant to compete when there are men like this with a full tank?”
It’s not just male drivers stocking up at the pump (one woman was seen filling six cans to a total of 160 litres – at a cost of more than £200), but most of those taking to social media have been blokes. Some are flexing on TikTok, while others are using Twitter and Snapchat to show off their dashboards to the world.
Among them is Malik*. “Everyone knows filling up is costly and a lot of people take pride in their cars and being able to always finance a full tank of petrol is the flex,” he says to HuffPost UK of his recent Snaps.
However, he also admits to seeing the “ridiculousness of it”, adding: “With recent events it’s silly that there are people out there queuing for hours and panic buying so hopefully more people won’t be flexing on it.”
While panic buying is generally agreed to be exacerbating the problem, Malik still feels the urge to fill up, as he needs a fully equipped car for his family.
“Even though I can agree it’s unnecessary, it’s hard to not think about being in the worst case scenario yourself, so you end up giving in and ensuring you’ve got petrol,” he says. “With us, we’re in the middle of a move and I need to make sure I’m able to get to north for my parents.”
Another motorist who’s been showing off his fuel status is Ali*. He tells us: “I feel privileged to even have half a tank. It’s fashionable to have this much fuel. More people are going to be at it now, have you seen the queues?”
While it’s all fun and games being able to gloat, let’s not forget that hoarding resources isn’t great for those going without. Not only is it dangerous to carry containers of fuel, stockpiling it means key workers and vulnerable people are not able to get around.
It might impress your date that you can drive them wherever their heart desires. But they might like you more if you didn’t buy into the whole panic buying thing.
Plus, as Malik says: “sitting in those hourly queues for capped off petrol definitely isn’t a flex”.
* Names have been changed.