Who Invented the Green Line Test? The Story of Rivelino and Viral Body Language Theory

The Origin of the Green Line Test

Every viral trend has a beginning. For the Green Line Test, it started with a single Twitter post analyzing an Icelandic strongman's wedding photos. Here's the complete story of how one person's niche theory became a global phenomenon with over 500 million TikTok views.

The First Green Line Post

On May 2, 2020, a Twitter user named Rivelino (known as @alpharivelino) posted a photo of Hafthoor Bjornsson — the actor who played The Mountain in Game of Thrones — with his wife Kelsey Henson. Rivelino had drawn green lines along each person's spine.

Despite Hafthoor being one of the strongest men on the planet, his green line showed a lean toward Kelsey. Rivelino labeled this as "weak" — the massive strongman was, by his metric, the less dominant partner in the photo.

The post gained about 130 retweets and 950 likes. A niche following was born.

Who Is Rivelino?

Rivelino (the online persona) had been active on Twitter since around 2010. Before the Green Line Test, he posted primarily about body language, relationships, and what he called "frame" — the idea that maintaining an upright, independent posture signals confidence and social power.

His earlier content drew from a broader internet subculture focused on male self-improvement and social dynamics. The Green Line Test was his most original and visually striking contribution — a simple, repeatable framework that anyone could apply to any couple photo.

What made it work was the visual simplicity. Unlike complex body language analysis that requires expertise to interpret, the Green Line Test reduced everything to a single question: who's leaning?

2020-2021: The Slow Burn

After the initial Bjornsson post, Rivelino continued applying green lines to celebrity couple photos throughout 2020 and 2021. His posts were shared within a small but dedicated community interested in body language and relationship dynamics.

During this period:

Posts typically got a few hundred likes

A small community of users began applying the test themselves

The concept evolved from Rivelino's personal analysis into a repeatable "test" format

The framework solidified: solid line = strong, dashed/tilted line = weak

People began applying it to increasingly humorous subjects — historical figures, cartoon characters, movie stills

April 2022: The TikTok Explosion

The Green Line Test's leap from niche Twitter posts to global virality happened thanks to one person: Jack McGuire (@jackmacbarstool), a content creator associated with Barstool Sports.

On April 11, 2022, McGuire posted a TikTok applying the Green Line Test to photos of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson. The timing was perfect — Kim and Pete were one of the most-discussed celebrity couples of the year.

The video showed Pete consistently leaning toward Kim across multiple photos, earning the "WEAK" label each time. It was simple, visual, and immediately engaging.

The numbers tell the story:

First video: 1.3 million views within days

Follow-up videos: 9 million, then tens of millions

Combined views on Kim/Pete analysis: over 104 million

#GreenLineTest hashtag: began accumulating millions of views daily

For the full breakdown of this viral moment, read our Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson Green Line Test analysis.

The Mainstream Media Wave

Within weeks of the TikTok explosion, mainstream media began covering the trend:

Newsweek published multiple articles: an explainer, a debunking piece, and individual celebrity analyses

Bustle ran a comprehensive feature with body language expert quotes

HuffPost and Dazed Digital examined the cultural implications

YourTango published a critical analysis

Glam consulted five named body language experts

The Tab wrote a viral explainer that reached millions

Each article brought new audiences to the trend, creating a feedback loop. People read about the Green Line Test, tried it, made their own content, which generated more articles.

The Meme Phase

As with any viral concept, the Green Line Test quickly became a meme. People began applying green lines to:

Jesus at the Last Supper — analyzing which disciples were "leaning in"

The Titanic poster — Jack and Rose's posture dynamics

Cartoon couples — Shrek and Fiona, Homer and Marge

Historical photos — world leaders, military figures

Animals — penguins, cats standing next to each other

Inanimate objects — buildings, trees, anything that could "lean"

This meme phase actually helped the Green Line Test achieve longevity. While the serious analysis attracted one audience, the humor attracted another, and the overlap kept the content ecosystem thriving.

The Expert Backlash

Alongside the virality came significant pushback from body language professionals:

Dr. Lillian Glass called the test "simply not true"

Joe Navarro (former FBI) called it "rubbish" with "no science to support it"

Blanca Cobb warned against "judging a relationship based on one photo"

Vincent Denault called it "nonsensical" and contradictory to decades of research

Read our full breakdown of what psychology research says about the Green Line Test.

2023-2026: Evergreen Status

Unlike most viral trends that peak and disappear, the Green Line Test has achieved evergreen status on TikTok and social media. Every new celebrity couple photo, breakup, or public appearance provides fresh material.

The test endures because it combines three powerful elements:

Visual simplicity — anyone can understand it instantly

Celebrity culture — endless new subjects to analyze

Relationship curiosity — people are endlessly fascinated by couple dynamics

The Legacy

Rivelino's Green Line Test transformed from a niche Twitter post into a globally recognized concept. Whether you see it as a fun party trick or pseudoscience, its cultural impact is undeniable:

500+ million TikTok views across related hashtags

Coverage in dozens of major publications

Spawned multiple apps and tools (including ours)

Entered everyday vocabulary: "they failed the green line test" is now instantly understood

Inspired dozens of other TikTok relationship tests

Try the Modern Version

Rivelino drew his lines by hand. Today, AI does it instantly. Upload any couple photo and get your Green Line Test results in seconds.

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