YEAR OF THE GIRL: Bows and ribbons have become an online sensation. Going beyond simple hairstyles, the popularity of bows have made their own impression within culture on Tiktok. Videos with the caption “Me if you even care” have spurred jokes and memes about bows and their feminine nature and “coquette” aesthetic. Along with bows, other stereotypically girl trends have come out of the last year and amassed millions of views.
TikTok is one of the many apps that has become central to the biggest trends and pop culture moments. From red and green flags to learning about the Roman Empire, the year 2023 saw a spark for new interests and seeking the next trend. Now that we have moved on to 2024, it is the perfect opportunity to review and reminisce on the most viral trends of the last year. Here were some of the biggest movements on Tiktok 2023.
Roman Empire
One Tiktoker, @TheHapaGirl, accidentally started a discourse when encouraging her followers to ask the men in their life how often they think about the Roman Empire. The vast majority were shocked by the frequency the men thought about it. This catapulted #RomanEmpire to trend. Now, garnering 3 billion views, many believe this concept is about men and their natural desire for conquest and achievement. However, the idea has now grown into new realms, in which people share their own “Roman Empire,” or essentially a topic they personally may contemplate often.
McDonald’s Grimace Shake
When McDonald’s introduced a special purple shake to celebrate the birthday of one of their most recognizable mascots, the Grimace, the Grimace Shake death spoof emerged in appreciation of the jovial purple creature. Austin Frazier is the TikTok creator behind this often messy trend. Inspired by the red “spider-verse burger” videos, Frazier utilized a similar concept. In his initial video, he wished Grimace a happy birthday and took a sip of the drink. The video then cut to and transitioned into a horror-like sequence with Frazier lying on the ground with the purple substance all over his body.
“It’s supposed to be a meme about the weird color and Grimace collecting his victims. It’s those quick, funny transitions that always get a good laugh, so that’s why it was created,” Frazier said.
Following the first few weeks after Frazier’s video was posted, he amassed 3 million views and thus began the Grimace Shake trend. It was mostly throughout the months of June and July that fans on TikTok began to follow the same format and style of original video. Creator Elijah Morgan (@jon.eli.caden) went viral for his version of the trend. He was seen in an abandoned warehouse with the drink splattered across the walls and a purple hand creeping out from the corner.
#GirlDinner
Singing about putting together one of her favorite meals, Hannah Rose (@tishannahrose), unintentionally began the sensational trend labeled as “girl dinner.” Content creators on TikTok soon took it upon themselves to showcase their own quick and easy snacks they plated to form their own meals. Through the amusing tune’s popularity, different communities on the app began engaging with each other and encouraged the pop culture phrase to spread onto new platforms. #GirlDinner has just under 3 billion views on the app today.
#GirlMath
TikTok in 2023 was also swept by a new term dubbed as “girl math.” Various people on the platform have now become familiar with this type of logic. Girl math is the thought process and nonsensical calculations women use to justify their silly spending habits and behavior. In justification of these unnecessary purchases, the term aptly describes an idea many women collectively understand and have shared jokes with. “It’s basically free” is one of the many bizarre rationales for girl math. However, accounts on TikTok appear to find humor and entertainment from the concept, giving the hashtag over 380 million views.
Bows
Bows have become all the rage over the last year and continue to be a trending craze today. Popular TikToks feature bows of ribbon wrapped around all sorts of objects. From bowls of cereal and Chick-fil-A meals to pets and animals, the recent popularity of bows has transcended fashion and made its influence into pop culture. The recent resurgence of bows shows off the feminine, soft, and sweet style of aesthetic. One content creator, Sierra Palian (@partiallyrose), posted her own video following the trend and wrapped a ribbon around a glass of water. Gaining more than eleven million views, Palian comments on how hyper-feminine trends like these circle back to traditional ideals surrounding femininity and gender roles.
“It’s a way to express your femininity, but in an extremely self-aware way,” Palian said. “It is hyper feminine, but also there’s an awareness to it. It’s not ditsy culture.”
Attenzione pickpocket
“Attenzione pickpocket,” was one of the most iconic phrases of 2023 coined by creator, Monica Poli. Because of her recognizable voice, Poli has become a social media sensation, with videos showcasing her exposition of scammers and pickpockets in the streets of Italy. Accumulating millions of views and followers, Poli has gained huge support for spreading awareness and looking after innocent tourists. Her well known catch phrase has even been remixed into songs and tracks, and she continues to create similar content calling out small scale theft.
Name a Woman
This trend involves couples on TikTok. It features women asking their partners to give the name of any woman, in the hopes that the partner responds with the name of their own significant other. The question posed is intended to challenge or test relationships. However, some answers have been determined as acceptable by viewers. Mothers, historical figures, and few celebrities have all been unconcerning answers. One internet personality, Angela Chalet (@angelac0123), participated in the trend. When her boyfriend questioned if it was a trick, he proceeded to answer the name, ‘Madison.’ The video cut to an “In loving memory” graphic, and fans were quick to join in the joke.
Sephora Kids
There has been an influx of young shoppers at Sephora and Ulta beauty stores, and they are most recognized as Sephora kids. These tweens and young teens are known to run around the store, sampling and even ruining testers, or begging their parents for the newest and most popular skincare products. Customers and employees began to express their thoughts about these children via social media. Parody videos began to be created as a part of a rage trend that emerged in response to children on the app sharing their expensive hauls. After these kids acquired over 226.3 million views, a fierce debate sprung up discussing the consumption of social media by young children, as well as parenting skills today. While some are empathetic for the lack of social spaces catered to preteens, others are criticizing styles of parenting and the lack of control parents have over their children’s behavior.
The 2023 year was filled with defining moments for social media and an uproar of trends that come with TikTok’s influential platform. Audiences on the app seem to be most engaged through relatable moments and the intrigue of new ideas, allowing the last year to be one where people both laughed and learned something new. 2024 will surely continue to share in these new moments while bringing in more fun and memorable trends.
