Inside sprinkle sprinkle, the controversial hypergamy movement led by dating guru Shera Seven
“If you want a man to love you, stop loving him and love yourself,” exclaims American influencer Leticia Padua, popularly known online as Shera Seven, in a viral TikTok video. “Get what you can get out of that man,” the YouTuber and life coach continues. “He will give it to you out of guilt for not loving you the way you deserve to be loved.”
A quick scroll through Seven’s social media profiles will land you in a sea of heterosexual dating advice for females on how to get the upper hand in conversations, stop feeling guilty about what you deserve and how to ask money from a man without feeling bad. If you interact with this content your FYP will then be filled with self-help videos prompting you to ‘marry up’ and embrace your dark feminine energy in relationships.
Welcome to SprinkleTok, a movement preaching hypergamy—the practice of dating or marrying a partner of higher social and financial status—to frustrated single women in situationships and deluluships.
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♬ Originalton - Sherasprinkle
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♬ Vegas (Originally Performed by Doja Cat) [Instrumental Version] - Hit The Button Karaoke
What is the ‘sprinkle sprinkle’ movement?
The term ‘sprinkle sprinkle’ refers to Seven’s iconic catchphrase she uses every time she shares dating advice with her viewers supposedly led by feminine consciousness. The mic drop phrase eventually evolved into a social media rabbit hole as more proponents started encouraging female viewers to marry or date “high-value men” or “providers” rather than “broke men,” often referred to as “dusties.”
With millions of views on their videos, the holy trinity of SprinkleTok prominently includes influencers Seven, Princella The Queen Maker and Mina Irfan. Armed with confidence and humorous quips, the lifestyle creators believe that women who love themselves should attach a price tag to themselves—be it in the form of money, time or emotions. As a result, they share a list of hot spots across New York City for their followers to find rich, eligible bachelors, along with the best time and outfits to secure the bag.
“Shera Seven is asking women to ask a man to show you through his actions that he is making your life easier by paying a bill, taking you on a nice date and investing in you because he understands that life takes money,” explains TikToker @krystle.channel. “Manipulative short-term men want you to forget that money even exists. We have good intentions towards men and men just want to use us… This isn’t a good bargain for women.”
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♬ Vegas (Originally Performed by Doja Cat) [Instrumental Version] - Hit The Button Karaoke
In addition to promoting self-improvement, the influencers also highlight the bleakness of the current dating scene to drive their points home. In essence, men will ultimately disappoint you so you might as well get a Prada bag out of that situationship. It’s an argument a lot of women are struggling to argue against.
The rise of ‘drizzle drizzle’ and other backlash
On SprinkleTok, female followers of Seven are seen sharing video testimonials after adhering to her coveted advice. While one TikToker allegedly found a “provider” she “deserves,” another “networked” with three men who picked up her happy hour tab. “There was literally nothing I lost in this experience,” the second TikToker added. “Sprinkle sprinkle, ladies! It worked.”
However, it’s worth noting that most influencers on SprinkleTok aren’t licensed coaches—instead drawing their beliefs from personal experiences. Although the trend can be perceived as a response to the sigma, looksmaxxing and auramaxxing trends native to the manosphere, sprinkle sprinkle almost gamify the patriarchy to a point where gendered expectations have controversially evolved into a verbal mic drop.
@pineapplepaintedlime sprinkle sprinkle
♬ 原聲 - mycatso_cute
Seven herself has been previously dubbed the “female Andrew Tate” by her followers. In other parts of TikTok, the influencer has also faced criticism for perpetuating repressive and deeply nihilistic gender ideals as well as reducing women to sexual objects following faux-empowerment efforts.
“Those who are in a relationship with a broke man, what do you think he’s going to get you for Christmas this year? What did he get you last year?” Seven asks her followers in a viral video. “Nothing, cigarettes, a stick of gum, excuses…” the influencer, who also released a book in February 2024 titled Sprinkle Sprinkle: How To Date a Provider and Avoid a Dusty, later reads from the comments under her live video. “Why settle for less when you could be getting jewellery, shopping sprees, hundreds of dollars worth of gift cards, cameras and phones?”
The sprinkle sprinkle discourse has also controversially birthed the term “drizzle drizzle” as a male response to ‘outlandish’ female demands. TikTok users who also criticise the videos in the comment section by highlighting their financial independence in relationships are upstaged with “You go girl. Keep working hard. I’m just over here working smart.”
With comments like “Not marrying my bf until he has an 800 credit score” and “interacting to stay on SprinkleTok,” it’s abundantly clear that the controversial dating rabbit hole is here to stay and is also arguably pushing viewers into the same toxic patterns as the manosphere. For now at least, “sprinkle sprinkle is life” for many single women on TikTok.
