Having a hard time keeping up with the latest love and sex terms you see on TikTok? We’ve got you covered with this handy glossary of the biggest sex and dating trends that keep popping up on your FYP.
- “The Ick” - This one goes way back to the 90s show “Ally McBeal,” but it’s been revived thanks to “Love Island” and now resides on TikTok. Despite the time-hopping, the meaning hasn’t changed. The ick is that cringey feeling you get when the person you’re dating does something that really turns you off.
- “Protect your peace” - This one’s all about not letting negative energy take you down. You’ll see it in videos that encourage you to block, mute, and unfollow exes, ghosters or anyone who takes up mental space. “Protect your peace” and “peace over everything” remind you to put yourself first as a form of self-care.
- “Comprehensive education” - This hashtag is used to give us a rundown on a topic. Subjects can be anything from birth control to consent to LGBTQIA+ issues, but as informative as these TikToks may be, remember that the content isn’t always screened for misinformation, so do your own research and fact check what you see on social media.
- “Throuple goals” - It’s simply a play on “couple goals,” for those into polyamory. TikTok is full of accounts that want to help explain alternative relationships and show that love comes in different shapes and sizes.
- “Boyfriend POV” - This has evolved from its origins on Tumblr to when it first arrived on TikTok in 2019. Back then, it often took the form of a sexy video to a trending song and it’s also been used by creators who act out half of a relationship in a variety of cheesy scenarios, like taking you — the female viewer — to watch the sunset. These rom-com-type situations can be cringey, but the videos can rack up millions of likes, so they’re obviously doing it for some people.
Read the full article for yourself at Cosmo