Do you want to go viral on TikTok right now? Take a pink ribbon and a random object. A roll of toilet paper, a houseplant, or a spear of kosher dill will do the trick. Tie it in a bun and film it. Post the video online and you're done.
In recent weeks, arches in the wrong places have become all the rage on the social media platform. Popular TikTok videos show ribbons wrapped around a plate of macaroni and cheese, a knife, and an order of Chick-fil-A. Another appeared in what at first glance appeared to be a bowl of cereal, but instead of cereal, it's just a bowl of bows.
If you can name it, someone has probably tied a bow on it.
The online trend comes as a reaction to the recent popularity of bows in fashion and pop culture.
Sierra Palian, a 22-year-old babysitter from Washington, DC, recently posted an 8-second video showing a glass of ice water on a table. It's filmed from above and the three floating ice cubes are tied with pink bows.
Like other arc videos, Palian's was set to “Let the Light In,” a dreamy love song by Lana Del Rey, whose personal style is known for being traditionally feminine and heavy.
The ice cube video has racked up more than 11 million views on TikTok. Palian said it was intended as a commentary on the coquette aesthetic, a style she described as feminine, soft, delicate and often marked by pastel colors.
“It's a way to express your femininity, but in an extremely self-conscious way,” she said. “It is hyperfeminine, but there is also awareness of it. “It’s not a stupid culture.”
The ice cube video and others like it are part of what Palian described as “a large-scale inside joke.”
“I saw a comment that talked about how melting ice cubes represent what female beauty is viewed in society,” she said. “And I was like, 'Wow, that's deep.'”
Chrissy Trovato, who works in influencer marketing for a jewelry company, said she was inspired to make her own bun video after some appeared on her For You page. Realizing that she had a pink ribbon left over from a work event, she tied ribbons on her TV remote control and other random objects in her Manhattan apartment. She then took out her phone and filmed them.
In her 10-second video, which is also set to Del Rey’s “Let the Light In,” the arched objects take on an eerie appearance. Trovato, 25, captioned the video “Flirty Girl.”
The act of tying bows to everyday objects and filming them for social media videos could be a parody of the way the Internet invents and circulates trends at high speed, he said. He cited the spread this year of so-called blueberry milk nailsa nail polish trend that took off on TikTok this year, thanks in part to its catchy descriptor.
“We don't need to give everything a name,” Trovato said. “I think this could almost be a joke on a lot of the trends out there.”
One question remains: Does the recent spate of absurd bowing videos signal the end of bowing?
“I hope not,” Palian said. “I have been seeing several people get bow tattoos in their bodies.”
