The Brief: The Boys Vs. Girls TikTok war sees creators filling the comments section of the @BoysTheOfficial and @Girls accounts with blue and pink emojis respectively, as a means to gain more followers.

Bluesquiggle
DEEP DIVE

TikTok has seen no shortage of controversies and wars. The latest rivalry seems to be all in fun between young women and men on the app. The @BoysTheOfficial account appears to have waged war on the verified @Girls account, which is known for re-sharing funny, relatable, or informative videos created by young women on the app. At the time of publication, the account has over 8.3 million followers.

https://www.tiktok.com/@girls/video/6925188760489446661?is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v2&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6790176033137542661

On Nov. 11, 2020, @BoysTheOfficial’s first video appeared and it declared war on @Girls.

https://www.tiktok.com/@boystheofficial/video/6893586337849494789?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6790176033137542661&is_from_webapp=v2&is_copy_url=0

@BoysTheOfficial shares videos made by other young men on the app. The account holder also actively monitors each profile’s following numbers and is encouraging their fans to tag popular creators to spread the word.

https://www.tiktok.com/@boystheofficial/video/6925423441097067781?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6790176033137542661&is_from_webapp=v2&is_copy_url=0

The @Girls account holder doesn’t appear to be creating videos solely for the purpose of rivaling @BoysTheOfficial. However, both young women and men on the app are engaging in comment trends for exposure.

Participants are flooding the comments sections of each account’s posts with blue emojis (for boys) or pink emojis (for girls) to pique the interest of other TikTokers and hopefully convert them into followers/participants. The purple devil emoji can be spotted from time to time in the comments, mostly as a means of an individual mischievously noting they are participating in the war.

TikTok boys vs girls war
TikTok

This sort of the activity is also similar to that of TikTok comment trends practiced by TikTok cults. In May 2020, TikTok cults were at war and competing for dominance. TikTok “cult” members would change their profile pictures to match and flood comments sections with messages.

That same month, the “Yankee With No Brim” TikTok dance sparked a women’s empowerment movement on the app after young men claimed women were not allowed to take part.

The insult “Wallet” which has also taken form as  “OK, Wallet” (similar to “OK, Boomer“) was thrown around TikTok by young women aiming to clapback at young men they deem to be male chauvinists who are only good for their money. The insult “wallet” is a response to men calling women “dishwashers.”