What Are 'Linewives' And 'Bucket Bunnies'? The Viral Slang Terms Explained

Hurricane Ian wreaked plenty of devastation on Florida last week, but with that devastation came carloads of hunky men ready to fix some powerlines and scour Tinder for local hotties.

These are "Linemen," a group of electrical engineers whose job it is to travel across America fixing broken powerlines and restore electricity to swaths of the country. They tend to be young and musclebound, so if you're a single woman in an area where powerlines need fixing, this weather-related devastation heralds the arrival of many attractive bachelors. A real "It's Raining Men" scenario, if you will.

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However, not all of these eligible bachelors are exactly "eligible" nor "bachelors," and a recent series of TikToks has alerted the world to a rivalry that's been brewing for years: the war between 'Linewives' and 'Bucket Bunnies'.

Here, we'll break down the meanings of the strange terms "Linewive" and "Bucket Bunny" and go through how they became the wildest drama on TikTok this week.

What Are "Linewives" And "Bucket Bunnies"?

As you may have guessed from our definition of "Linemen" above, "Linewives" are the women married to these traveling hunks. This can be a difficult life, as at any moment, a Lineman may be called to a different part of the country for a job. Linewives have formed a niche on social media, discussing and joking about life with a husband who often travels for work. The clique is not so different from the more commonly known sisterhood of military wives.

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The mortal enemy of the Linewife is the Bucket Bunny. "Bucket Bunny" is a pejorative term for a woman who attempts to sleep with Linemen when they roll through town (the idea being they "hop" from Lineman-bucket to Lineman-bucket). Linewives don't like the idea of the Bunnies attempting to flirt with their husbands, and thus the rivalry was born.

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Why Are Linewives And Bucket Bunnies Trending Now?

Hurricane Ian was hardly the start of the Linewife/Bucket Bunny rivalry, but it helped bring the drama to the wider world's attention after a series of TikToks surrounding a salacious scandal went viral.

It started on September 29th, when Floridian TikToker @emilyhosein1 posted a video celebrating the hot Linemen who had recently appeared on Tinder in the wake of Ian.

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The following day, two key TikToks brought the concept of Linemen and Bucket Bunnies to the world. One came from user @whitewidow_1313 posted a TikTok saying, "Imagine finding your husband has a Tinder from scrolling TikTok." In the comments of the post, she said she didn't see her husband in the video, but had gone through a similar situation with her Lineman husband and believed she saw a friend's husband among the Tinder profiles showcased by @emilyhosein1. User @kaylaamariee12330 posted a TikTok saying she saw her husband in the video, gaining over 2.3 million views in one week.

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With an infidelity drama to latch onto, TikTokers were drawn to the world of Linewives and Bucket Bunnies like moths to a flame, and the app was soon inundated with drama recaps and hot takes about the situation.

What Does The Internet Think Of Linewives And Bucket Bunnies?

While many are content to chow down on popcorn as they watch the Linewives and Bucket Bunnies war on social media, others posted more nuanced takes on the situation. Several users posted TikToks criticizing Linewives for being so distrusting of their husbands that they send anger toward other women. Others pointed out that it seems odd to build an identity over a spouse's job. However, all agreed that if a married Lineman cheats on his wife, he deserves no mercy when facing the consequences.

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For more information on Linewives and Bucket Bunnies, check out our KnowYourMeme entry.