When Toluwa was waiting for a flight in an airport lounge in Washington, DC, she struck up a conversation with a man who approached her. After chatting for a while, she agreed to exchange phone numbers. Only later, after checking his social media, did she realize he regularly posted videos of himself approaching women in public — including in airports.
The footage, she discovered, was recorded using smart glasses: eyewear that looks like ordinary glasses but contains a discreet built-in camera. Although still relatively niche, the devices are becoming increasingly popular.
“I creeped and found his TikTok,” Toluwa said. “That’s when I realized he makes these ‘rizz’ videos,” using slang for clips showing men approaching women to flirt with them. She asked to be identified by her first name only for privacy.
According to Toluwa, the man later sent her the video he had secretly recorded of their interaction, saying he wanted to “run it past” her before posting it. She said she never explicitly agreed to it being shared, but he uploaded it anyway. The video went viral, she said, and strangers began recognizing her in public. “Someone literally came up to me and shoved it in my face, asking, ‘Is this you?’”
Her experience is far from unique. Social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are filled with videos of men filming themselves approaching women in public spaces, often without the women’s knowledge or consent. Shot from a first-person perspective, these clips can attract thousands — sometimes millions — of views, along with waves of misogynistic comments.
While pick-up culture is not new, experts say the rise of so-called “manfluencers” — male creators who covertly record women for online content — represents a troubling escalation.
‘Controlling women’s images’
The label “manfluencer” covers a wide range of male-focused content creators. Some promote fitness or self-improvement, but others, experts warn, frame women as “conquests” or “rewards.”
“Women are often positioned as a prize,” said Stephanie Wescott, a feminist academic and lecturer at Monash University in Australia. Smart glasses, she said, reinforce a power imbalance by enabling men to record women without their knowledge. “It sends a message that men can watch, record and control women’s images in public spaces — and that those spaces belong to men.”
Wescott described the trend as a form of gendered technological abuse that is difficult to detect. “The danger is the loss of bodily autonomy without even being aware that it’s happening,” she said.
Another woman, a DJ and producer who goes by the username “Manic Muse,” said she had a similar experience in a grocery store in Texas. A man wearing glasses approached her, complimented her appearance and asked for her number. She believed the exchange was genuine.
Later, after telling her sister about the encounter, she began to suspect he may have been wearing Meta AI smart glasses. “My heart dropped,” she said. When she asked him directly whether he had been recording her, he stopped responding.
After finding his social media accounts, she discovered he regularly posted videos of himself approaching women. Despite asking him not to upload her footage, she said he posted it anyway. The video has since reached tens of millions of views.
“It’s incredibly violating,” she said. “I didn’t consent to being secretly recorded, and I definitely didn’t consent to becoming content for millions of strangers.”
Consent and accountability
Smart glasses typically include a small blinking light to signal when recording is taking place, though critics note this can be obscured with stickers that are easily purchased online.
Meta, which makes Ray-Ban smart glasses, said in a statement that its devices include an LED recording indicator and tamper-detection features designed to prevent the light from being covered. “As with any recording device, people should use smart glasses in a safe, respectful manner,” the company said, adding that misuse violates its terms of service.
None of the women interviewed said they noticed a recording light during their encounters.
Anne-Marie, an events organizer from the UK, said she was filmed without her consent by a man wearing smart glasses while she was on holiday in Malta. Although police in both Malta and the UK told her they could not take action, she was eventually able to have the video removed from social media platforms.
“It’s about money,” she said. “If you get enough views, you can monetize it. But you shouldn’t be monetizing off exposing people. You need consent.”
‘A new threat’
Experts say financial incentives are a key driver behind the trend. “Manfluencer content often acts as a funnel to sell coaching, courses or other products,” Wescott said.
In many countries, including the US and the UK, filming people in public spaces is generally legal, though harassment laws may apply. In the UK, additional privacy and data protection rules can come into play if footage is shared online, especially for commercial purposes.
Feminist organizations argue that the practice represents a serious violation of privacy and a means of publicly shaming women. The End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) is urging governments to update legislation to address emerging technological threats.
“The act of being filmed without consent for a harmful purpose violates women’s rights to privacy and to exist freely in public spaces,” said Rebecca Hitchen, EVAW’s head of policy and campaigns.
“For women,” she added, “smart glasses are not an exciting innovation — they are a new threat to everyday life.”
