American Moves in With British Boyfriend—and Uncovers Baffling Daily Ritual

Newsweek

13-05-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
An American woman has gone viral after sharing her confusion about a surprising British bedtime habit—storing pajamas behind the pillow.
Cameron (@camabroad), 29, a former product operations program manager in the tech industry, moved from New York City to London in April 2024 and soon met her now-boyfriend, Laurence, 30, a finance consultant from Manchester. Since moving in together, she's been adjusting to British quirks—including where Laurence keeps his sleepwear.
The revelation came one morning while she was making the bed and discovered a pair of Laurence's shorts tucked behind the pillow. The video she posted about it has since racked up 14,200 likes and 484,400 views.
"I thought they'd accidentally gotten caught in the pillowcase in the wash, so I placed them on the bed for him, assuming he'd been looking for them," she told Newsweek.
A split image of Cameron finding her boyfriend's pyjamas under her bed.
A split image of Cameron finding her boyfriend's pyjamas under her bed.
@camabroad/@camabroad
"The next day, they were folded back under the pillow and I was like, 'What is going on here?' He looked at me, completely confused, and said, 'What do you mean? That's where PJs live!'"
Laurence explained it was something he'd done since childhood. At first, Cameron thought it was just one of his eccentricities—but after asking around, she learned it was a common practice across the UK.
"I told my American friends, who either fold theirs at the foot of the bed or wear a fresh pair nightly, and we all agreed it was both adorable and hilarious. Honestly, at this rate, I'll probably be doing it too soon," she added.
She also noted another bedtime difference: she stands the pillows upright, while her boyfriend lays them flat.
The couple became official in October 2024 and have been inseparable since. "Discovering daily cultural and language differences has been an added level of entertainment in our relationship," Cameron said.
Beyond the pajama placement, Cameron has picked up on many cultural nuances in the UK. She told Newsweek she initially misunderstood casual greetings like "You alright?" thinking they required a full emotional update.
She's also adjusted to British etiquette—like standing on the right side of the escalator—and has grown to love the dry, sarcastic humor.
"When I first moved, people seemed surprised that I understood sarcasm—as if it's a second language. Honestly though, sometimes it is.
"As someone who's always rushing, discovering that everyone stands on the right side of the escalator felt like a dream come true," she added.
She admitted it took time to grasp British slang, the UK date format (beginning with the day, rather than the month) and even pub culture posed challenges—the first time she ordered a Guinness she attempted to grab it mid-pour, not knowing there was a two-stage serving process.
"Very embarrassing. To make it worse, I had originally ordered a "baby Guinness," a term I heard here, thinking it was a half-pint of Guinness—not a shot made to look like one. Safe to say, I've learned a lot about pub etiquette since then," she added.
To keep up with the new dialect, she and her American friends even made a glossary for their British partners, decoding words like "knackered" meaning tired, "faff" meaning a waste of time ,and "pants" meaning underwear—the latter leading to workplace confusion when describing her new pants in the office.
However, the move hasn't been without its struggles. Cameron shared that being far from her family in Florida and friends in San Francisco has been tough, and making new friends in London in her late twenties hasn't always been easy. Professionally, she said she took a significant pay cut when moving, despite similar living costs.
Still, she highlighted the many upsides: exploring British culture, enjoying green space and slower living compared to New York, and the ease of traveling to nearby European countries.
On TikTok, many users chimed in to validate the pajama-under-pillow phenomenon.
"I think it's an European thing as I'm French and used to do this as a child," said Ana.
"Too clean to put in the laundry, not clean enough to put back in the dresser so we put them under the pillow to wear them again that night," added Carys.
"This is absolutely normal," wrote Kimberley.
Meanwhile, Cameron confessed, "I put them in the laundry after each wear!!"