TQE’s FYP: Tomato Girl Summer Makes Me Hungry

Before and afters tend to do well on the platform, including this week’s gossip-inspired version.

Transition videos—good ol’ transformation videos—are tried-and-true strategies on TikTok. Frankly, they work for both influencers and business owners because they tap into the desire that subliminally or not, the viewer is watching their videos because the user wants to be like the creator. Many uber-successful posters are really selling “how to get my life.” Why do you think so many of them sell courses?

Anyhow, a few weeks ago, this trend was particularly notable via a specific Lana Del Rey song with the following lyric: I know, I know, I know that you hate me (before footage) followed by now my life is sweet like cinnamon, like a fuckin’ dream I’m living in (after footage).‍‍

This one’s a little different, talking about the backlash or criticism people first got when they started out posting “cringe” content online. Example: “Ew, they’re trying to be an influencer.” These comments are fully familiar to me, as someone who’s both been on the receiving end while giving recommendations or saying it myself once or twice, so it’s refreshing to see creators clap back at a truth we all sort of internalize: that becoming an influencer itself is not embarrassing but trying to be one somehow is. So kudos to them for doling it out.

The bold glamour filter versus the ugly filter is quite the contrast.

Have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror and thought you looked gooooood then seen a picture afterwards then said “um, never mind”? This one’s for you.

This week’s trend has two parts: the somewhat sexy “Instagram face” bold glamour filter that dominated TikTok in late spring, and an “ugly” filter with harsh eyebrows and strong features. The first is a scary visage of what the algorithm views as perfection: pillowy lips, cheekbones, long lashes, but also looks intensely fake. The second is the reverse: what the algorithm views as not. Using them both in the same video seems to poke fun at the warp between confidence and (perhaps) reality that occurs in some situations that makes the latter feel ugly.

The scariest part of the first filter is that it follows the person in the video. Wave a hand over their face and it doesn’t go away. I’s become intensely difficult to tell who’s wearing one and who’s not—who’s smoothing their pores or brightening their eyes. Some creators flat out refuse to use them, while others post regularly with them in GRWM videos but post occasionally to remember that “filters aren’t reality.” Does this trend speak to upwards, creeping beauty standards in which normal appears hideous? Just food for thought.

Another important note: while TikTok notifies the user that a creator is using a filter, filter disclosures only appear on the platform in-app, meaning that the videos disseminated via Instagram, news feeds, and more are doctored without any disclaimer, making it difficult to discern what “real” even is. So seeing these “this filter vs. that filter” videos are somewhat refreshing, twisting a new reality.

Is TikTok going back to its lip syncing roots?

This week, I’m seeing so many lip-syncing videos to Miley Cyrus’s banger hit “Angels Like You” cross my feed, with no narrative or trend to accompany it. Instead, someone simply lip-syncs to the song and it instantly blows up, making me wonder if perhaps TikTok might be indulging in a moment of nostalgia for its roots? I’ve seen a few others, but naturally I love the song and listen to it on repeat, so my FYP has this one on a loop-de-loop.

Everyone wants a tomato girl summer.

You’ve heard of cottagecore—cozy quilted bedding, a teapot whistling on the stove and a garden to tend to. You’ve probably relished coastal grandmother—sea-colored button downs, airy linens, sun hats. This summer’s fashion delight? Tomato girl summer.

With its roots in the same breezy homebody feel as the first two trends, tomato girl summer is all about a Mediterranean vibe in the household and in your fashion. Since it sometimes feels like everyone jaunts to Europe in June and July, I can see why this trend would be appealing. It says you don’t have to buy a plane ticket to wear warm reds, drink pinot noir, and twirl pasta in an antique dish. Neutrals abound, a head scarf is always welcome, and a romance novel may be on hand. Warning: trend may make you hungry too.

Songs making the rounds on TikTok this week:

For more trending audios—especially songs blowing up on Instagram and Reels—check out our Spotify playlist curated just for you.