DEEP DIVE

The “Me Before” and “Before My” trend on TikTok consists of creators showcasing videos and photos of them (or their loved one) before a “horrific” incident. The twist is the creator (or loved one) has yet to experience the said traumatizing incident. These videos are linked to a sad, downtempo tune on a piano. The audio was first used in a Jan. 8 beauty video by user @oliviapb. However, the audio started to appear in “Me Before” and “Before My” videos in late March and early April. There are currently over 33,000 videos linked to the sound.

In the end, creators typically promise to complete a “part two” once the event happens. The videos are intended to be funny, and are marked by dark humor. For example, creator @ihatethecolourgreen’s video is captioned,”Before I started eating dirt.” Touching photos are displayed, before he appears and says, “Hey guys, so I actually haven’t eaten dirt yet, but I’ll tell you when I do.” The video received over 411,000 likes and 930,000 views.

@ihatethecolourgreenIt’s been a few hard years ##foryou ##fyp♬ original sound – oliviapb

TikTokers are have adding their own creative twists, which include scenarios like “Me before getting a boob job” and “Me before my weight loss.”

@wot.dennisceo of being flat 💀 i don’t mind♬ original sound – oliviapb

@fordstfuThis took a lot for me to film. Let me know what you think of my transition at the end. ##fyp ##foryou ##distancedance ##foryoupage♬ original sound – oliviapb

Some creators have uploaded videos about their loved ones instead. Popular creator @ethanfairr’s “My brother before he got beat up,” video received 1.8 million likes and 10.4 million views.

@ethanfairrPrt.2? Lmao @aidenfairrr♬ original sound – oliviapb