The Brief: "OK, Wallet" and the "Yankee With No Brim" trends are part of a women's empowerment movement on TikTok, after some user claimed only men could take part in a specific meme.
DEEP DIVE
TikTok maybe an app for teens to make fun lip-syncing and dance videos, but there are also serious issues being tackled among the young user base. In recent days, teens have used the app to protest unfair censorship among creators of color. There is another movement happening, as well. Young women are protesting gender roles and male chauvinism with an 8-second dance and a simple clapback: “Wallet.”
What Does “Wallet” Mean?
The insult “Wallet” which has also taken form as “OK, Wallet” (similar to “OK, Boomer“) are being thrown around TikTok by young women aiming to clapback at young men they deem to be male chauvinists are only good for their money. The insult “wallet” is a response to men calling women “dishwashers.”
While there’s no way of telling when these phrases first appeared on the app or who coined them, these phrases are primarily found under #YankeeWithNoBrim videos, specifically those uploaded by young women using it to shut down young men who believe they can’t take part in certain trends. Videos in this trend appeared to be popular initially with young men on the app.
What Is The “Yankee With No Brim” TikTok Trend?
These TikTok videos stem from an incredibly popular Feb. 8 tweet. User @3104_Mic replied to a video of Ne-Yo wearing a cap with no bill with a video of a man wearing a Yankees cap with no brim. The meme-worthy moment was essentially made by the person recording the audio who excitedly yells, “Woah! Yankee with no brim.”
YANKEE WITH NO BRIM pic.twitter.com/8xNoboXfdl
— 3104 MIC (@3104_Mic) February 8, 2020
On April 8, the audio was then used on TikTok by creator @MitchellBess. It showcased the various ways to wear a Yankee cap without a brim set to a chopped and screwed version of the audio. It garnered over 2 million views and 389,000 likes. From there, more videos began using this audio to create “Yankee With No Brim” videos, many included the hashtag #YankeeWithNoBrim.
@mitchellbess The Yankee no longer fits my head #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #comedy #quarantine
Five days later, account @natebrownell posted a joint video of @brookestarks_k (dubbed CEO Of Swag) singing Akon’s “Don’t Matter” mixed into the original “Yankee With No Brim” video. The popular take was watched over 1.8 million times. It received over 135,000 likes and was shared over 10,000 times. It featured the hashtags #DemTerries, #CEOofSwag, and #YankeeWithNoBrim. This lead to many more videos in the trend, with a number of skits, made by young men.
@natebrownell
How Did The “Yankee With No Brim” Trend Lead To A Women’s Empowerment Movement?
On April 24, popular dance creator Haley Sharpe (@YodelingHaley) known for her viral Doja Cat “Say So” choreography, jumped on the trend, from her alternate TikTok account (@postysdaughter). She choreographed a short 8-second dance to the audio, featuring her throwing it back to the audio.
@postysdaughther
Her video garnered 1.3 million views and mix of hateful and supportive messages. Some user claimed she “ruined” the joke, making it a point to tell young women they shouldn’t take part.
She responded with another post on April 27, and performed the same dance. Her caption read, “When I ironically make a dance to this sound as a joke and then men attack me for ruining the meme thinking that I made a serious dance anyways.”
@yodelinghaley when i ironically make a dance to this sound as a joke and then men attack me for ruining the meme thinking that i made a serious dance😀😐anyways
In the comments section she asked, “Why are girls attacked for everything?” Creator @Kevinstay1k” responded with, “I apologize on behalf of wallets.”
As a form of protest, young women began performing the dance and uploading it to the platform, like creator @daragrj, whose April 28 video was captioned, “Solidarity @yodelinghaley.”
@daragrj solidarity @yodelinghaley
Her video was duetted by a young man who further perpetuated the running stereotype that only guys were allowed to take part in the trend, captioning his video, “Dear women, may men please have one meme without thots ruining it. Sincerely signed all men.”
@its_uncle_muzz #duet with @daragrj bruh just leave the memes out of it #foryou #yes
Young women fired back in the comments, referring to the young man as a “wallet.”
Not all young men on the app feel the same way. The video was duetted, yet again, with another young man supporting women’s right to use the sound, writing, “Dear Beta Males, you literally ruined the trend by getting upset over this. Sincerely, signed alpha males.”
@proud.libbie terrible that we have the same name too #duet with @luucasmurray #fyp #foryou #foryoupage
Similar Terms:
Young women are also using similar terms in the place of wallet, including: lawnmowers, coin purses, bug killers, and fish catchers.