The ultimate summer bucket list is here

The week on TikTok, broken down: bubble skirts, absconded husbands and mysterious girls

By Darshita Goyal12 Apr 2024

Hiya, chronically online scrollers! Welcome back to TikTok Decoder, woo’s weekly breakdown of trends, sounds and creators brought to you by senior writer Darshita Goyal <3 Fresh off the slate: summer bucket lists, mysterious girls and why should I care about Charles Withers? Buckle in!

sound that’s everywhere: me wanting to be mysterious

It’s Natasha Bedingfield’s world and we’re just living in it. After Unwritten found a new crop of fans, Pocketful of Sunshine is here for its moment in the spotlight. This time it’s the backdrop to a fun TikTok fad. A montage of silly, girls-just-want-to-have-fun videos play in the background while the text reads: “me wanting to be mysterious but this is my personality”. Even though you know exactly what to expect, it’s hard to stop watching the videos because they’re so giggly, goofy and freeing.

style that: bubble skirts

The TikTok to fashion runway back to TikTok pipeline never ceases to amaze me. First we heard rumblings of the return of the puffy bubble skirt online. Then we saw Molly Goddard and Connor Ives endorse the style in their fall 2024 shows, and lo and behold, the bubble skirt is taking over my FYP. From design obsessives stitching their own minis to creators styling them cute, the bubble skirt is the new pencil skirt and I’m actually obsessed. Switching tabs to Vinted right about now.

now trending: where is Charles Withers?

In a rare first, this trend actually came to TikTok from Facebook! (we’ve been discussing the return of the boomer favourite app in the office, so stay tuned…) A woman asked the internet to help her track down her absconded husband just so she could divorce him and move on with her life. While Facebook was reactive, TikTok ofc took the sleuthing to another level. They found the man, his Bumble profile, a string of his exes, the fraud he committed at his restaurant, and even his father’s employment history. Wait for the most shocking reveal: all of this was discovered in less than 16 hours of the wife posting the call-out. I’m impressed, but I’m also terrified.

freshly viral: summer bucket list

@PattyDelux made a case for bringing back hyper aspirational, sky’s-the-limit summer bucket lists and people are obsessed. The creator shared a checklist from 2012 which included “meet a celebrity”, “build a sandcastle”, “dip dye hair”, “ride a ferris wheel” and even “get a fish”. Sure, as adults we don’t have six weeks of summer to Phineas and Ferb it all but hey, we can still dream, right? I’m buying a pack of colourful Sharpies to make my own list – no other way is acceptable – and so should you!

comfort follow: @AbbzBon

Let’s flow! If this phrase rings a bell, you’re already on the good side of TikTok. Creator Abbey Bonadies builds flow charts to break down pop culture. Like why is Fleetwood Mac suddenly everywhere? Are Kyle Richards and Morgan Wade dating? How are all celebrities related? There are also weekly watch lists and daily quizzes! If you spend hours tumbling down this rabbit hole, don’t be mad. You actually leave feeling smarter, so all that screen time is worth it… well, kind of.

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