TikTok has one thing? It enjoys a good secret phrase. You’ve probably already heard the most recent one while lazily scrolling through your FYP: mascara. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion regarding mascara, but no one has mentioned any actual tubes of the product.
The #MascaraTrend presently has 39.2 million views on TikTok and is typically set to Duster’s song “Constellations.” What the hell is it about if it’s a fully developed “thing”? That would be relationships, dating, and s. Yep! It’s truly so random, yet is it also not?
Allow me to recover your time if you spent a lot of time trying to figure out what the #MascaraTrend is and came up empty-handed. Here is all the information you require regarding the fad.
What exactly does “Mascara” on TikTok mean?
The #MascaraTrend is essentially a coded means for individuals to discuss their current and previous love relationships, how successful or unsuccessful they were, and, er, how the experience was. One TikToker, for instance, posted: “I once used a mascara that I really liked, but it ended up seriously harming my eyelashes, so now I’m afraid to try any other mascaras for fear of doing more harm to my eyelashes.
The trend is frequently used to talk about being content in your “ship,” as one user (jokingly? )stated, “My favourite mascara couldn’t keep its wand in its tube.” According to one poster, “I’ve used mascara since I was 14 years old. I’m now 24. The only mascara I’ve ever used, but I’m confident that there is no other product like it. Because I loved it so much, I even created a tiny version. Adorable.
Of course, the wand imagery refers to penises, but other users have utilised the metaphor to explain why they avoid dealing with the aforementioned wands, which is great for them.
Just so you know, when “lip gloss” is mentioned (in the comments or in videos), it refers to the vagina. the more you understand! Important side note: Was Lil Mama actually referring to this when she mentioned her lipgloss was popping? I stated this in my group conversation.
Users can “go there” if they truly want to, praising (and even dissing!) their ex-partners because they are communicating in code. Witness:
RIP to the guys who hear their girlfriends complain that their current mascara is too short and wants something longer.
Why don’t people just say what they really mean?
In essence, it’s to avoid app censorship, and the workaround is actually rather brilliant. Though using a code word to evade content moderation is nothing new, Taylor Lorenz noted that social networking applications (and their content standards) have actually led to users inventing an entire new lexicon known as “algospeak.” You’ve seen it happen: people writing “porn” with a corn emoji; “Le$bian” with a le dollar bean (since that’s how voice-to-text pronounces it); “spicy eggplant” for “vibrator”; or “nip nops” for nipples. Using “mascara” to discuss topics that the app would deem unsuitable essentially prevents users from having their content regulated by the TikTok Powers That Be. 2023 in: referring to a penis as “mascara.” Just saying dk, out. Noted!
Unknown who actually began the tradition, but we’re extremely thankful they gave the FYP a fresh little sexual connotation!