It doesn’t seem far off to say that it would be unrealistic to expect someone to sit down and spill their deep secrets without a clear invitation to do so. Even with close friends, it can feel awkward to share stories that seem unfit for the dinner table or coffee shop. But right now, TikTok’s “she doesn’t know it yet” trend offers an opening for women to reveal their lore in a way that isn’t as intimidating as doing it unprompted.
ICYMI, the “she doesn’t know it yet” trend has taken over FYPs in recent weeks, with women sharing moments that changed their lives, ranging from jaw-dropping scandals to sweet stories of hope and inspiration. The trend is open-ended, leaving its interpretation up to the creator. Many have taken it as an opportunity to reflect upon how far they have come in their lives, whether through their personal growth, career, or relationships. Others have used this trend as an opportunity to share their trauma in an open and cathartic way.
Here are some of the different ways women are interpreting and participating in the trend.
Reminiscing about how they met their SO
My favorite videos I have come across with this trend have been about the meet-cute stories of ordinary TikYok users as they look back on the first date or first time they met their significant other. Here’s a cute video that received 1.6 million likes that a woman posted to share how she met the love of her life at a random bar on St. Patrick’s Day.
Reflecting on their career growth
It’s easy to forget to look at the big picture of how far you’ve come in your career as you get caught up in the smaller daily tasks of your work. It’s important to step back and reflect upon how far you have come because this type of reflection will inspire you to keep going in doing those smaller tasks that will eventually result in those big-picture effects. Here’s an uplifting video of TikToker Katie Feeney reflecting upon the hard work she’s put into journalism, resulting in having the opportunity to cover Penn State football games.
Unpacking a life-altering friendship breakup
Friendship breakups are not as talked about as relationship breakups are, but they should be.
Here is a video of a young woman laughing and having fun before she experienced a life-altering, traumatic friendship breakup. The video allows viewers to feel heard and not alone in navigating the difficulty of friendship breakups, as one TikToker commented, “I will always believe friendship breakups hurt more than relationship breakups.”
Revealing a personal traumatic experience
Talking about trauma can be difficult, but for some, this trend is giving them a chance to get things off their chests. One TikToker made a video about a traumatizing experience she had that sheds light on a topic that is not normalized to discuss in everyday conversations.
There are many different videos that interpret the “she doesn’t know it yet” trend differently, but all are participating in this same trend, which says something about it offering a lighthearted opening that allows TikTokers to feel heard.