With a large majority of Gen Z on the social media platform TikTok, one is guaranteed to find a trend they relate to in a positive way. photo by Makayla Vasquez
Tiktok’s creative platform churned out plenty of fun new trends throughout the year.
As someone who spends way too much time on TikTok, I’d argue that I’m pretty well versed in the different trends from throughout 2023. There have been a few different ones that have really stood out to me, included in the following list:
Stanleys – The Stanley quencher tumblers have gained quite the popularity this year, with much credit to the influence of TikTok. I found it silly that everyone was buying a cup priced anywhere from 30 to 50 dollars when one could get basically the same thing on amazon for half the price. As much as I wanted to buy one every time I saw the rainbow organized wall of Stanley’s at Dick Sporting goods, I refused to pay so much for a cup with a logo. I have a few of the “off brand” cups, but after receiving the real thing for my birthday, I can’t go back. Something about it makes me want to constantly drink water. I average about 2-3 40 oz cups of water a day solely because I carry my cup everywhere. The only downside is that it weighs about four pounds when completely filled with ice and water. But hey, at least my wrists are getting a workout and I’m staying incredibly hydrated, not to mention the hours and hours of ice that stays in the cup.
Girl math – In the world of girl math, Cash is simply not real money. This became a popular agreement between girls on the TikTok app. Once that took off, more and more people started rationalizing purchases and how they spend their money. As someone who spends money like it’s unlimited (it very much is not), girl math has made me feel way better about my purchases. An unhealthy habit I’ve acquired is that if I didn’t use my debit card and there’s no record of the purchase, then I didn’t buy anything. Things like gift cards also count as “fake money.” Oddly enough, it makes me feel better about my purchases and I feel less guilty about buying myself things that I want. The girls really pulled through with this phenomenon.
Roman Empire – Originally, women on TikTok would ask the men in their lives how often they think about the Roman Empire. Some would say never, while others would say multiple times a week. Women all over would be shocked at those who say they think about it often. After this went on for a while, users of TikTok quickly started to use it as a way to describe events, people or ideas that they think about constantly. These could be random things about the future, past, present, really anything in general. I enjoy seeing what random things other people are always thinking about, as sometimes they can be really far fetched.
Beige Flag – I’m sure we’ve all heard about green flags; something that is good about another person. We are probably also aware of red flags; something that is a warning sign about someone. Now there has been a new colored flag added to the list: beige flags. Beige flags are used to describe something that is not as serious as red flags, but not super great like green flags. A lot of users would use the term beige flags to point out something in their partner that isn’t super serious but rather something that occurs often or a quirk, if you will. However, the phrase is definitely not limited to couples. One could say that my beige flag is that I am constantly saying “I have a headache.”
I may be broke, but boy am I rich – Lastly, one of my favorite trends recently is where users will play a clip of an unreleased song by music artist, Noah Kahan, and make a slideshow or template of photos showing off their friends and other things that they love and make them happy. These videos usually contain as little as two or even around 70 different photos showing off that person’s life. I find this trend so genuine and cute, as those participating are showing off their life and everything that brings them happiness. The song perfectly fits the vibe of the video and is definitely a serotonin boost.
Overall, I think the TikTok trends this year are more memorable than others as far as creativity goes. While that might be a broad statement, I have a feeling that I will have my Stanley for years to come.
