The News Minute| December 17, 2014| 2.51 pm ISTSocial media can sometimes form a cruel platform for many to get bullied or shamed on by their friends and acquaintances. Public image becomes everything for most of us on these sites, where we are scrutinized by everyone of our peers.Many find that one of things they are mocked about is their lack of a relationship or a significant other. The all-knowing and omnipotent internet, however, has a solution for your social media woes – its called a ‘real fake girlfriend (or boyfriend)’. Yes, you read right. You can hire a fake girlfriend online to pretend to be your girlfriend on Facebook, and can make all your Facebook friends think that you are in a relationship with a very attractive woman (or man) and hence will be spared the mocking you may have to endure for being single. This particular service is offered by many websites all over the world. One can just go to these websites and ‘hire’ a real girl to pretend to be their girlfriend on Facebook for a period of one to two weeks (or more if desired). The girl will then befriend you on the site and will send you loving messages, post pictures and do all those things actual couples do on Facebook. All these services for a nominal charge of 5$ USD (approximately Rs.300) The charges vary from site to site. There are sites that also cater specifically to Indians or Americans. The sites show that mostly men avail of this service rather than women. The service itself is very safe and legit. The ‘girlfriend’ and ‘boyfriend’ never actually meet, and the identity and personal information of the girls is kept private by the site. Here is advertisement for just such a website that says a man can prefer a ‘no-hassle’ and ‘uncomplicated’ virtual fake girlfriend rather than an real and complicated one. Fake girlfriends are apparently a thriving industry, with millions hiring them online. And why not? Even if it is a shallow attempt to validate your virtual self, it mostly proves to be a bit of fun for many.