I don’t know about you, but life has been a bit boring for the last few months for a reason that shall not be named. In my opinion, Tik Tok adds flavor to life. You may be asking, “How?” Well, reader, the reason is that there are so many trends and subgenres you might not know about. Here are eight of my favorites that you may not know about.

Euphoria – “Stranger”

The amount of excitement that entered my being when I saw this trend on my for you page was astronomical. 

People are taking inspiration from the fashion and makeup that is seen in the HBO series, Euphoria. The song is called “Still Don’t Know My Name” by Labrinth if you were wondering. 

The video starts with someone lipsyncing with no makeup on. Once the song says “stranger” the person lays down, and once they hit the pillow they have on makeup and their lights are a different color. 

If that didn’t make sense here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haeKXOLDI9g 

(This link may not be accessible on school Chromebooks, but if you have Tik Tok look up “still don’t know my name” and what I’m attempting to explain should come up) 

The first time I saw a video like this, I was in awe. I am horrible at makeup so it was really cool to see how creative people are. I already am in love with Euphoria and this just gave me more of a reason to love it.

Randonautica

This trend is kind of creepy, but for some reason, I am always so enticed when I see videos like this.

This trend started with an app called Randonautica. The app generates random coordinates in their local area. People found this interesting and the app became popular for a while. Suddenly people took to Tik Tok to document their journey and what they experienced. 

Most of these experiences looked traumatizing, to say the least. I had to have witnessed at least five people get chased in the woods. For some reason, I kept watching them.  My adrenaline was through the roof, and I wasn’t even there. But, all in all, I had a great time watching these videos.

“It’s the __ for me”

I have no idea where this phrase came from, or even who it came from. All I know is that I use it daily. 

You can fill in the blank in the way you want to. Whether you use it to be mean or nice, there is always humor behind it, and that’s one of the things I like about it. 

I also think these videos entertain people because of the chaotic energy they give. I mean who doesn’t love a little bit of chaos every once in a while. I honestly think this trend is going to stick with Gen Z until we’re old.

Dreamcore

Most of you reading this have no idea what this is and might want it to stay that way. I say this because a lot of people have derealization. Consider this a trigger warning if you decide to view videos like this on Tik Tok. 

Videos in this trend have compilations of places that seem oddly familiar. I cannot explain how familiar these places seem. I know it seems weird. “Why do you like this?” is a question you may be asking. The answer is I simply love nostalgia. There is something about it that is so enticing.

Heather

The song “Heather” by the amazing Conan Gray has to be one of the saddest songs I’ve heard in a while. 

For some background information this song is about someone liking another person, who is already in a relationship with a beautiful girl named Heather, hence the name of the song. 

This trend is mostly girls being self-critical about how they look and comparing themselves to other girls. 

You’re probably thinking “She likes seeing other girls in pain? Wow, that’s sadistic” No, I absolutely do not. What I love to see are the comments. The comments are filled with girls lifting each other up. It’s really common for young women, including myself, to see other girls, and start comparing. It is especially hard to not compare when you see today’s beauty standard and the expectations for women in general, so I love to see girls supporting girls despite the circumstances.

Anime Tik Tok

OK, this isn’t actually a trend, but rather a subgenre, but I just had to put this on the list because I love it so much. 

If you couldn’t already tell, this part of Tik Tok is about anime. I don’t even know how I got there. Before my for you page turned into only anime content, I didn’t really watch anime that often, but now it’s the only thing I watch, honestly. There is a plethora of content about shows like Hunter x Hunter and My Hero Academia.  If you like anime in any way, shape, or form you will love this side of Tik Tok.

The Watermelon Sugar era

Harry Styles– what a guy, right? 

Now, I don’t know about you, but I love Harry Styles and his album “Fine Line” with all of my being. And to have this ethereal being bless the world with a music video was one of the highlights of 2020. 

In the month of May, all over Tik Tok there was speculation for Harry Styles fans about a possible watermelon sugar video. The speculation started when people discovered this website: https://doyouknowwhoyouare.com/ ( this website might not be accessible on school Chromebooks) 

Somehow, Harry stans concluded that the date for the “Watermelon Sugar” video release was going to be May 18. Weird, I know, but they were completely right. 

My favorite part about this trend on Tik Tok was the excitement behind it. The little discoveries people found, and the anticipation was so nice, especially because quarantine was in its early stages, and everyone was just trying to not be bored.

Blackout

This trend only really lasted a day, but nonetheless, it was and still is my absolute favorite.

In May 2020, Tik Tok creators of all skin colors came to a mutual agreement that black creators do not receive the recognition they deserve. There was mostly discrimination through only black creator’s accounts being shadowbanned, meaning they weren’t receiving the views they usually get because they were talking about a certain subject. Everyone agreed on the day, May 19, only black creators would post content. 

My for you page was filled with only black creators all day. They talked about whatever they wanted, although mostly it was educational videos about the Black Live Matter movement. As a young black woman, who has seen mostly white creators dominate this app, it was really nice to finally see black creators. It was also really nice to see the unity it brought.