A viral catchphrase is spreading around the manosphere and pickup artist scene to criticize overprotective friends of women.

The phrase is, "It's always the fridge protecting the snacks," and it's been rising to prominence on TikTok since 2022. Now, after going viral in a few different videos, it's spreading like wildfire.

So what exactly does the phrase mean and how is it being used online? Here's what you need to know.

@msdami It’s always the fridge that protects the snacks 🔥🔥🔥 #fyp #relatable #datingadviceformen ♬ original sound – jjjxnesy

What Does "The Fridge Protects the Snacks" Mean?

Back in November 2022, TikToker @yaoet reuploaded a video of a girl dancing under the caption, "whatever you do don't bring the friend that's overprotective of you…" In the video, her "overprotective friend" dances into the frame and pushes her out of it. The video's description reads, "Nah bro we all know the fridge protects the snacks." This is the first known time the phrase was used.

In this context, the phrase is being used to call the overprotective friend overweight and unattractive, comparing her to a fridge and the first woman as attractive, comparing her to snacks inside a fridge. This suggests that the uploader finds the first woman in the video attractive and that the overprotective friend, who they find unattractive, gets in the way of her more desirable friend making connections with people.

@yaoet Nah bro we all know the fridge protects the snacks 🤷‍♂️ #funny #meme #fyp ♬ original sound – yaet

How Is "The Fridge Protects the Snacks" Used In Memes?

Since 2022, the phrase has slowly spread across social media. Mostly, it's been embraced by manosphere and pickup artist content creators. These creators use the phrase to point out overprotective girls and girls they find undesirable who get in the way of a man talking to a woman who they find desirable.

The phrase garnered a big boost in use after a video by pickup artist @bklayman went viral in September 2024 in which he yelled it at a friend who blocked him from connecting with a woman. Since then, it was also used in a video by pickup artist @tobyflexx and a viral X post by user @FearedBuck.

@bklayman Cmon bruh #rizz #confidence #pickup #socialskills #confidence #selfimprovement #pov ♬ original sound – Barak Klayman

@tobyflexx The fridge was out of cotnrol then fot humbled by baddie #pickup #confidence #tobyflexx #povrundown ♬ original sound – TOBYFLEX

@olivertooconfident Pov rizz W or L ? #pov #rizz #pickup ♬ original sound – olivertooconfident

@modern.media01 #football #sports #NFL #athlete ♬ original sound – modern.media01

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For the full history of The Fridge Protects the Snacks, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.