TikTok found its new body-horror trend with "Kissing Leaf" and many are losing their minds. So, what even is it?
Kissing Leaf Trend: Origins and Meaning
The trend first started on Dec. 5 after TikToker Junie Grey, also known as junietoonz, posted of using visual effects to make her body into the shape of the mistletoe.
@junietoonz What did you guess?? #guesstheshape #junieandthehutfriends #indieband #weirdcore #weirdcoremusic #indiemusic ♬ Drown Me! - Junie & TheHutFriends
Viewers are being encouraged to "guess the shape before the time runs out" at the tune of "Drown Me!" by Junie & TheHutFriends.
What might be at first just an advertisement for a song from her band has turned into an internet sensation as people joked about "Biblically-accurate angels" to her misshapen form.
The video soon received tons of attention from many TikTok users, racking up 11.8 million views and 817,900 likes in just over three weeks after it was uploaded.
Grey has fully dived into the trend, uploading similar videos with all the body distortions and "Drown Me!" in the background.
Kissing Leaf: The Body Horror Trend
The ear-candy music and weird visual effects soon spread across the platform with several users referencing the word "kissing leaf" to weird Photoshop edits.
TikTok user thekittyandrea even returned to the platform three months of absence to bring the trend to their cat. The video immediately gets 43.1 million views.
@thekittyandrea Andrea, queen of the jungle.. #andreavonspeed #foryou #catsoftiktok ♬ Bécane - A COLORS SHOW - Yamê
Later, more users are seen imitating the trend or creating memes and skits on their reaction to the freaky transformation.
Many of the memes surrounding the trend are depictions of people losing their minds, seen having a mental breakdown while wearing a white vest in a rubber room.
At some point, Grey's TikTok account got suspended after several users took it seriously that people were scared of her edits.
Her account later got reinstated. Grey continues to upload similar TikTok videos on her account and promote her band.
Weird Trends on TikTok Continue to Spread
Bizarre trends continue to spread like wildfire on TikTok as users move on from the retro and VHS horror that dominated the platform a few months ago.
It will be quite a task to guess what trend will take on this side of TikTok.
