TikTok Might Be Banned In The US Soon, So Here Are 22 Historic TikTok Moments To Look Back On
I wanted to put together a list of some historical TikTok moments because the app might be been banned in the US on January 19, but since I started writing this post, the future of TikTok's US access has changed several times.
First, we heard that if we already had the app, then we'd have access to it for some time after the ban (until it would eventually crash). But then, there were reports that TikTok itself was going to shut down the app to US users on the 19th if the ban went into effect. BUT THEN came reports saying President Biden's administration and President-elect Trump were trying to keep the app around. So who the hell knows what's gonna happen? Something will probably change again by the time this post is published.
But just in case we DO lose TikTok this weekend, I've compiled some culturally monumentmental TikTok moments you might've forgotten about. So join me as I take a walk down memory lane.
It all started here. Well, not really, but it feels like it did. Back in 2020, when dance trends defined the app, Renegade was THE TikTok dance. It was the main dance that everyone was trying to nail. Learning to do this choreography was like earning a black belt in TikTok dance trends. It was created by then-14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon and popularized by several content creators, including Charli D'amelio.
"Fee-fi-fo-fum" went this baby as he stepped into internet fame. There's not much else to say here. In 2020, 3-year-old Gavin went viral for being a shockingly big toddler.
3.Tessica Brown (AKA The Gorilla Glue Girl)
@im_d_ollady / TikTok / Via tiktok.com
A cautionary tale about reading the fine print. In 2021, Tessica mistook Gorilla Glue adhesive spray for hair spray and used it to finish styling her ponytail. Her hair was glued down for a month before her viral TikToks got in front of Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Obeng, who offered a pro bono procedure to remove the glue.
Scrunchies! Hydroflasks! And oversized T-shirts! These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect VSCO girls.
In 2019, this was a burgeoning Gen Z girl identity turned viral meme. It was a precursor to the endless aesthetic-based identities-turned memes we know now (i.e., coquette aesthetic, office siren/"corpcore", and "clean girl" aesthetic).
This was a perfect example of the internet getting WAY too involved in the personal lives of complete strangers.
It was 2021, and this poor young lady just wanted to post a video of herself surprising her boyfriend at college. Suddenly, everyone online became an expert on body language and relationships. He was labeled a cheater overnight just for how he was sitting on the couch. And whether or not he was a cheater, it was none of our business!
6.Axel Webber (AKA The Guy Living In The Smallest Apartment In New York who auditioned for Julliard)
At the end of 2021, Axel started documenting what it was like living in his literal shoebox NY apartment. I felt claustrophobic just watching his videos. But what I'll really never forget was that this dude got so famous that people flooded Julliard's Instagram comments with angry messages after he was rejected. Mind you, none of his followers had ever even seen him act.
7.The Moms Lip-Syncing At The Bar
The way none of them could sync up with the audio. The way they all bobbed their head to the left and right. This 2020 video is the most mom behavior to ever be captured on film. Everyone claimed one of these moms to stan.
8.Adam Rodriguez's Rosa TikToks
Hard to believe Adam Rodriguez's Rosa videos started in 2019. Who could predict the impact that "open your purse" would have for the years to come? The Rosa videos make me feel old. They remind me of the earlier days of TikTok. You know, the simpler days when everyone was just joking around instead of engaging poorly in neverending discourse.
It's the way she said "chicken salad" that really sold me on how good the food was. And everyone else felt the same. This meme ended up having people travel from all over to try this Cleveland deli's chicken salad in 2022. To this day, I'm still curious about it myself.
10.Noodle the TikTok "Bones" dog
In 2021, people looked to Noodle to tell them what kind of day it was the same way people look to the groundhog to find out when spring is coming. Every morning, Noodle's owner, Jonathan Graziano, would sit him up. If Noodles stayed sitting up, it was a "bones day." That means it's a day for going out and getting things done! But if Noodle decided to lie back down, it would be a "no bones day." That means feel free to lie in bed all day and do some self-care.
They really tried to crucify this man in 2022, all because he ghosted a bunch of women he dated. People put his face, his job, and his Hinge dating profile all over the internet to shame him for it. Ghosting is neverrrrrr that serious, and this was big weirdo behavior on their part.
12.Among Us
Among Us existed long before TikTok, but the game reached a new level of popularity at the end of 2020 as many of us were social-distancing at home due to the pandemic. People would post TikToks of their Among Us sessions that regularly went viral, and as a result, it led even more people to download the game. We were truly so damn bored.
13.Tube Girl (AKA Sabrina Bahsoon)
It was the summer of 2023 and one day, while riding the London tube, Sabrina Bahsoon recorded herself lip-syncing and dancing while the train's wind blew in her hair. She started posting these more and more, and they went super viral.
We were impressed by her bravery to film herself dancing on public transport. We were equally enamored by her hair fiercely flowing in the wind of the train. Tube Girl was the moment, a baddie, and a role model in shamelessness.
14."What's a video that lives in your head rent-free?"
It's so ironic because she ended up living on our feeds rent-free for too long! This creator posted this question at the end of 2020, and for months after, you could not escape her face on your FYP. EVERYONE was stitching it. Who woulda thunk a simple prompt would etch someone's face into the collective TikTok memory?
15.The Reddit Guy Who Was Having Sex To The Same Song Every Time
This tale actually started on Reddit in 2022, where a guy shared that he regularly listened to "Cbat" by Hudson Mohawke to help with his rhythm during sex with his girlfriend. That story spread to TikTok, where people had a field day laughing at the idea of someone having sex to such a song. And rightfully so because the song is certainly...a choice.
Sometimes I think about the Hype House, and it feels like a fever dream. Formed in late 2019, this content house of mostly white, cheery, young content creators danced and lip-synced to viral audios, which launched them into short-lived internet fame. In case you forgot, early members of the Hype House included Addison Rae and Charli and Dixie D'amelio.
17.The Tabi Swiper (The Tinder Date Who Stole A Woman's Shoes)
This is one of the funniest dramas to ever be brought to the clock app. It took place in 2023, and it was a modern love story, really. Two people match on Tinder. Boy meets girl. Girl takes boy home for the night. Boy leaves the next morning. Girl realizes her $1000 Margiela Mary-Jane Tabis are missing. Boy blocks Girl. Girl calls him out for stealing on TikTok. Boy denies her accusations. Girl finds and sends picture of boy's girlfriend sporting the same exact Tabis. Boy confesses and returns the Tabis the next day. The End❤️.
18.The Four Seasons Orlando Baby
In 2024, video footage caught 1-year-old Kate going from being a normal baby to a fully sentient being in the blink of an eye. And all because her mom asked her if she wanted to go to the Four Seasons Orlando. Everyone became suspicious about how cognizant this baby truly was (and some of us were also thirsting over the baby's hot dad).
19.The Corn Kid
Simply put, in 2022, this little boy went viral for REALLY loving corn.
20.Girl Dinner
Olivia Maher is credited with coining the term "girl dinner" in 2023 and in the months following, women went to TikTok to share which random snacks they grouped together to make their own girl dinners.
21.Men Thinking About The Roman Empire
In 2023, we collectively learned that it's pretty common for straight white guys to think about the Roman Empire somewhat often. A very weird couple of weeks.
22.And finally, Reesa Teesa's "Who TF Did I Marry?" Series
Last year, this woman shared her experience of being married to a truly diabolical pathological liar. I gotta be honest, I never watched the series because I couldn't commit. But I did read the summaries about it! Whether or not you could sit through the 50-part series, you knew about it. Reesa Teessa shared a story about marital deception that was so twisted that Tyler Perry couldn't even make it up!
What are some other historical TikTok moments you'll never forget? Let us know in the comments!
