TikTok has become home to some of the biggest trends on the internet—here are seven hashtags that trended on the platform this month…
After kicking off of the month with Squid Game, we quickly learned that October would be a #Bones month on social media. By now, you probably already know about dog influencer Noodle and his #Bones or #NoBones Days, which spurred millions of views and even its own merch—but Noodle is not the only thing that went massively viral. , There was also the sudden popularity of undereye circles and #LubePrimer in the beauty world, and then of course, there’s the infamous #CouchGuy who TikTokers believed was cheating on his girlfriend. In case you missed them, we’re rounding up some of the biggest hashtags on TikTok from this month, from #Halloween to #hslotoutfit, here are seven hashtags that took over young people’s social feeds:
#Halloween (55.5B Views)
Last year, young consumers (mostly) celebrated Halloween from the comfort of their homes. YPulse told you how young consumers are celebrating Halloween this year—i.e. eating/buying candy, dressing up, and watching scary movies—and although the holiday isn’t quite back to how it was pre-pandemic, Gen Z and Millennials who are celebrating the holiday (88% of 13-39-year-olds are celebrating according to our Halloween research) can’t stop talking about their plans and costumes on TikTok. #Halloween counts more than 50B views from TikTokers sharing everything from Halloween recipes (#HalloweenTreats is also trending with 280.9M views), to decorations, to intricate costumes, to ideas for how to celebrate the holiday. #HalloweenCostume is also trending (2.1B views) as young people share their (and their pets’) on-trend ‘fits (think Squid Game, celebrity couple costumes, and more pop culture-inspired looks) while serving up inspiration for other viewers. Amazon has been a big source of inspiration for young people’s Halloween looks (#AmazonCostumes counts 59.1M views), which is evident from several videos showing viewers the exact Amazon pieces they’ll need to create their look—whether it’s Peach and Mario or a Wandavision couples’ costume. Lastly, TikTokers are using a Michael Jackson Thriller remix (created by @ianasher) to level up their Halloween clips, proving that Halloween is more than just a holiday for young consumers—it’s a state of mind they’ve been channeling all spooky season long.
#IndigenousDay (1.5B Views)
For years, young people and Indingenous communities have criticized Columbus Day as a federal holiday and have chosen to instead celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 11, which President Joe Biden officially declared a national holiday this year. To celebrate, TikTokers used the hashtag #IndigenousDay, which currently has over a billion views, to spotlight the cultures, languages, and achievements of Native American people from creators like James Jones to Michelle Chubb, and many others. In many of the videos, Native American and Indigenous users are seen wearing makeup and clothes from their culture, explaining the (real) history behind holidays like Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Thanksgiving Day, sharing honest stories about the discrimination they still face today, and the family traditions that bring them joy. We’ve told you about how important it is for brands to recognize holidays like Juneteenth or Black History Month to reach diverse communities and users online, but to be careful in how they do and to make the approach genuine—and Indigenous Peoples’ Day is certainly one to be mindful of going forward.
#hslotoutfit (108.3M Views)
Harry Styles’ rescheduled “Love on Tour” (finally) kicked off earlier this fall, and fans can’t stop sharing their concert outfit reveals via #hslotoutfit on TikTok. For non-Harry Styles fans, hslot stands for Harry Styles: Love on Tour after it was first coined during the singer’s debut concert in 2017 (Harry Styles: Live on Tour)—and the term is often used by his fanbase. At the height of the tour, #hslotoutfit garnered over 37 million views in the U.S. on TikTok, growing from less than 10,000 video views per day to an average of 1.5 million per day. TikTokers are sharing their fashion-forward ‘fits as they prepare for his concert (a.k.a. his fans’ personal Met Gala) while sharing their outfit inspiration for “the fashion event of the century” according to @andoej. Outfits are inspired by the artist’s liberating presence as an icon for self-expression, but according to one 23-year-old: “the fans dress better than him at this point.”
#ComingOutDay (136.3M Views)
From celebrating Pride Month to exploring gender and sexuality to forming “TikTok Families” and content houses, TikTok has become a haven for LGBTQ+ creators and users to express themselves. October 11 was Coming Out Day, and the tag #ComingOutDay (which currently has 136.3 million views) began trending at the beginning of the month with users sharing their own coming out stories, history about how Coming Out Day began, and showing support and love for those in the LGBTQ+ community. Meanwhile, International Pronouns Day took place on October 3, and TikTokers used the tag #PronounsDay (which has 100.8 million views) to educate others on the importance of respecting a person’s identity and personal pronouns. #SpiritDay also trended on the app this month, which users used to highlight media that combats bullying against the LGBTQ+ community. In the last few years, popular young influencers and celebs from JoJo Siwa to Demi Lovato to Nikkie de Jager to Carl Nassib have come out as LGBTQ+ or nonbinary, while Lil Nas X has constantly been praised for being outspoken and “unbashedly queer”—and is setting a precendent for teens to come out. YPulse found that Gen Z is more likely to identify as LGBTQ+, while our Gender Blur trend research shows that 60% of 13-39-year-olds believe that gender is fluid and we should work towards breaking traditional gender stereotypes, so it’s important to be mindful about what holidays are important to young consumers—and how to celebrate with them in a meaningful and authentic way.
#Rocktober (1.8B Views)
As Gen Z and Millennials continue fueling a classic rock comeback wave on TikTok, the platform kicked off #Rocktober, celebrating contemporary rock artists who have impacted TikTok while sharing their music with the world. From Abba, to Fleetwood Mac, and more artists/bands, rock music has been linked to several trends on the platform (remember skateboarding Nathan Apodaca?). The Beatles joined TikTok to kick off #Rocktober, bringing several hits to the platform for TikTokers to use in their videos including “Get Back,” “Across the Universe,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Hey Jude,” plus 32 more from the group. TikTok also mentioned in a company blog post that all of The Beatles’ No. 1 U.S. and U.K. hits are available for creators to use as officially-licensed TikTok sounds. Rock artists including Green Day, Greta Van Fleet, and The Wombats have been celebrating song anniversaries and new releases via #Rocktober while young users and emerging musicians have been sharing rock history, their favorite rock songs, and covers with viewers.
#GameDay (1.7B Views)
From prom to graduation to Rush Week, young people adapted to celebrating important high school and college milestones virtually, while some had to forgo celebrations completely as some schools cancelled events altogether. Homecoming, when current students and alumni come together to celebrate their school or university (typically culminating at a football game), was one of the college traditions that was impacted by COVID last fall, as campuses around the country halted in-person celebrations. YPulse’s Scouting Next Gen Sports Fan trend report found that more than half of young sports fans are excited to attend sporting events again. This year, some schools have chosen to continue regular traditions, but with safety protocols in place, including face mask and vaccine mandates and minimizing the amount of people allowed on campus and at the big game. According to National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Alumni Associations Foundation president Ty Couey, homecoming is “about trading old stories from years past and passing knowledge to the younger generation,” and some HBCUs chose to welcome back homecoming traditions in limited forms. (For example, Florida A&M University is hosting a campus concert with rapper Lil Baby, a “First Take” broadcast with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN, and a live taping with Kevin Hart.) Meanwhile, parents at one high school in Oregon organized smaller homecoming events with limited capacity after the school cancelled theirs. Students are also celebrating college football season and the return of homecoming virtually, with the tag #GameDay (which currently has over a billion views) and the tag #homecoming (which also has over two billion views)—and both show high school and college students sharing videos of themselves wearing their school’s colors and jerseys, and the ways they honor homecoming week. As the pandemic rages on, young people celebrating annual traditions online and offline proves that many of them are adapting to the new normal—and brands can continue to support them by finding ways to entertain them on social media and at their schools.
#MentalHealthAwareness (5.7B Views)
YPulse’s State of Mind trend data explores how the pandemic has negatively impacted young people’s mental health—and since COVID began, brands have been coming up with ways to support them, including TikTok who launched a dedicated #mentalhealthawareness hashtag for users to share their stories, fight stigma, educate the community, and advocate for others. When we first told you about the hashtag last spring, it accumulated 857 million views, and now has grown to over a whopping five billion views. World Mental Health Day falls on October 10—and to honor the day, the hashtag trended again as TikTokers continued to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and self-care, and to show support for people all over the world. We told you how hashtags like #SuicidePreventionMonth, #bekind, and #CreateKindness have trended on the platform in recent months to show support for and raise awareness for young people who might be struggling with their mental health. Therapists have also been flocking to the app since quarantines began to give free tips and advice to young users. When brands take part in social media and hashtags campaigns like this, it shows young consumers that they care about their overall well-being and are willing to take that extra mile to help.
