A couple have revealed the shocking moment they realised why they were getting so much attention on a cruise trip after roaming around on board and attracting a lot of keen interactions from other holidaymakers. The pair shared a video on their TikTok channel explaining the bizarre exchanges with fellow guests on board.
Content creator Ricky Bobby (@prericky) posted to the platform that, during their time on the ship, people kept interacting with him – even physically touching him at some points.
Footage in the TikTok video – where multiple people approach him – features text that reads: “Me: wondering why random people kept on talking to him on our cruise.”
In the video, they share: “They would walk by, sometimes staring at us. Even sometimes flirt with us. They would whisper things under their breath…”
According to the clip, “all of a sudden” the couple heard someone say “look at his shirt,” which featured pineapples.
In popular culture, clothing featuring pineapples – particularly upside-down pineapples – is widely believed to signal that the wearer is a swinger. The term swinger is often associated with older, married couples who engage in group intimacy.
The association between pineapples and swingers is thought to date back to the 1990s and early 2000s.
The TikTok video ends as his partner laughs – revealing she knew about the link between pineapples and swinging all along.
Many viewers found the situation hilarious. One wrote: ‘Just looked up what upside-down pineapple means. Howling.’
Another shared a similar experience. They said: “LOL, me and my ex didn’t know and had matching pineapple shirts on a cruise — we were like, ‘People are so nice and keep talking to us!”
Someone else said: “I mean, I get the upside-down pineapple nonsense, but none of the pineapples on his shirt were even upside down.”
Another added: “I made the same mistake. I got called out by the comedian on the cruise ship during his show. The rest of the cruise, I was called Mr. Pineapple Shirt. I had no idea… definitely threw it in the trash.”
Still, some viewers were surprised that people weren’t already aware of the symbol’s meaning. One wrote: ‘How do you take the pineapple shirt on a cruise and not know?’