TikTok loves a good code word or trend - from vanilla girl to teenage dirtbag - and now you might have noticed a new code word floating around at the top of your For You Page. Everyone on TikTok has been talking about mascara lately...with no actual tubes of it in sight. The #MascaraTrend videos are usually against the backdrop of the song 'Constellations' by Duster and currently has 69.2 million TikTok views. Clearly, it's a taking over the app - but what is it?
If you (like us) went down a rabbit hole trying to find any clues about what the #MascaraTrend actually is, allow us to decipher the code. Here's everything you need to know about the trend taking over your FYP.
What does 'mascara' mean on TikTok?
The #MascaraTrend is basically a coded way for people to talk about their past and present romantic relationships or how good or bad the sex is metaphorically - as if they were a tube of mascara. For example, one TikToker user made a video saying, 'So, I had the same mascara for 2 years but recently it fell in another girls purse. I got it back but something was weird about it.'
Another person shared, 'The mascara that I really like goes missing from time to time but usually it finds it's way back into my makeup bag as soon as I think about buying a new mascara.' Now this one we love - they always come running back as soon as you completely move on with someone else! While another user (jokingly?) said, 'My fave mascara couldn’t keep its wand in its tube.' Many followed a similar vein claiming they are too scared to try new mascaras because they don’t want their lashes to get damaged again. I think we've all sworn off ‘mascara’ altogether at some point, but that doesn’t mean our lashes aren’t getting the attention they deserve...
However, it's not all negative some users have claimed the mascara they have now is their 'favourite one' in their makeup bag. Obviously, the imagery of a wand alludes to penises, so, many other users have used the metaphor to talk about why they don't purchase 'wands' at all. 'Lip gloss' means vaginas and some people are using that in replacement for mascara in their videos. (Yes, everything is said in code these days.)
The #MascaraTrend code is also enabling people to talk more freely about their sexual orientation and preferences. One user posted, ‘I used to say I loved mascaras to 'be normal' but deep down I always knew I liked lipgloss.’ We love that for her!
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Why are people using 'mascara' to talk about sex on TikTok?
We know it may seem extra to have code words but it's all for one simple reason. Without them, TikTok would just censor the videos. So, using these code words is just a way to avoid the videos being blocked. and talk about sex on the app freely.
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