A true incubator of trends, for several years, TikTok has become an important search engine for Gen Z. But not only… Not content with sharing beauty tips, each more innovative than the next, users will also- become hacks as a way to publish content that is technically banned from the platform. And he certainly didn’t hold back…
Chinese social network users may have noticed the ‘mascara stick’ hashtag, seemingly sharing a new beauty tip or trick. What about extending the life of mascara with castor oil? Or maybe recycle your applicator to reduce bathroom waste?
There is no place. This new trend actually has nothing to do with the cosmetics industry, far from it… It is actually a fruit of the user’s imagination as a means of dealing with certain topics that are prohibited in their favorite applications.
How to get around the rules?
For anyone not up to speed, TikTok’s community guidelines explain that, among other things, “sexually explicit content” is not allowed on the platform. That’s why you can’t talk about your sex life, or your partner, on social networks.
In theory, because the ‘mascara stick’ trick has been designed to circumvent this strict rule. Because this term is used on the platform as a metaphor when talking about romantic relationships, and especially sexual relationships. And it can’t please the moderators of social platforms.
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More precisely, and more explicitly, the hashtag ‘mascara stick’ is used to refer to a man’s private parts, usually, or sometimes sex toys. And, of course, the trend has gone viral to the extent that it has become the subject of content as unexpected as it can be confusing, with currently no less than 2.5 million views for the hashtag #mascarawandtrend, and some 18 million for #mascarawand.
If some of the posts, it should be noted, are actually about original beauty tips, most of the videos are about relationships with exes or current partners.
“I have been in love with mascara for 3 years”
If the initial idea was to bypass the rules of the social network, it cannot be denied that some users are now having fun with hashtags just to talk about romantic relationships – which is not prohibited on TikTok. And that seems to be the case for many users, like Sarita, who use metaphors to talk about cheating.
“I loved my mascara for 3 years until this girl stole it from me. 2 years later I started using her mascara without knowing. Moral of the story, don’t steal someone’s mascara, because they might take you next. Until then, be tame.
But other, more advanced. “My mascara wand is too big and I’m scared because my tube is small but it fits perfectly. I love my mascara,” read a post accompanying another user’s video. Obviously, this is more obvious, and may not be accepted by Chinese social network moderators.
So, as you can see, unless you want to tell a funny story, or talk about your relationship through this hashtag, it is not recommended to follow this trend, which can only be embarrassing.
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