What is the Fruit Roll-Up trend on TikTok?
The Fruit Roll-Up trend is a viral challenge on TikTok where people place the fruit snack on their lips to make them appear much larger and more voluptuous. Users stick the sticky candy to their lips and stretch it to exaggerate the size and shape of their mouths. Often paired with audio of Oh No by Kreepa, the videos show people smiling, laughing, and mouthing words to show off their Fruit Roll-Up enhanced lips.
The trend took off in 2022 when TikTok user @ceekaysea posted a video doing the challenge that went massively viral with over 17 million views (https://www.tiktok.com/discover/fruit-corners-fruit-roll-up-book). Thousands of others soon began posting their own iterations, sparking a new TikTok lip challenge focused on using Fruit Roll-Ups to create a temporary plumping effect. Creative videos range from simply showing the transformation to incorporating makeup, outfits, and special effects.
While earlier food challenges on TikTok involved consumption, this trend creatively uses a snack product for an amusing visual effect. The vibrant colors and moldable texture of Fruit Roll-Ups lend well to exaggerating and shaping the lips. As the challenge took off, the #FruitRollUp hashtag gained over 324 million views, showing the viral scope of the meme.
Where did this trend come from?
The Fruit Roll-Up trend originated from a TikTok video posted on February 7, 2023 by user @candyqueen102. In the video, which now has over 121 million views, the creator demonstrates a suggestive way of eating a Fruit Roll-Up candy. She slowly unrolls the Fruit Roll-Up, wraps it around two fingers, and slides it in and out of her mouth in a provocative manner.
The video quickly went viral, sparking countless reenactments and parodies. Thousands of TikTok users started posting their own versions mimicking the original video’s questionable eating technique. As the trend spread across the platform, the hashtag #fruitrollup accumulated over 800 million views.
How are people doing the Fruit Roll-Up trend?
The Fruit Roll-Up trend involves using the fruit snack in a sexually suggestive way. It starts with one partner placing a Fruit Roll-Up on their tongue and leaving part of it hanging out of their mouth. Then, the other partner uses their mouth to pull the Fruit Roll-Up into their own mouth in a kiss-like motion, sometimes pulling back and forth on the snack (source).
Step-by-step, the trend goes:
- One partner places a Fruit Roll-Up on their tongue, leaving some of it hanging out
- The other partner leans in and grips the hanging Fruit Roll-Up with their teeth
- They pull on the Fruit Roll-Up, sliding it into their own mouth through the kiss-like motion
- They may pass the Fruit Roll-Up back and forth this way multiple times
Usually the partners face each other while doing this, often while one lies back on a bed or couch. The Fruit Roll-Up is stretched between their mouths as they pass it back and forth in a suggestive manner (source).
What are people saying about the trend?
The Fruit Roll-Up trend has sparked a wide range of reactions and commentary on TikTok.
Many TikTok users find the trend funny and entertaining. They enjoy watching people’s surprised reactions when the Fruit Roll-Up sticks to their face or tongue. Comments like “This is hilarious!” and “I can’t stop laughing!” are common.
However, some view the trend as wasteful or pointless. “Why are you wasting perfectly good candy?” one user asked. Others argue it doesn’t make for very compelling content, with comments like “This is so dumb.”
Some express safety concerns, warning that the trend could pose a choking hazard, especially for younger kids. “Please be careful with this. Don’t let your little ones try it,” cautioned one user.
There’s also discussion about how to best execute the trend. Users share tips like “Make sure you seal the edges really tight!” and “It works better if you use two Fruit Roll-Ups.”
Overall, the reactions are quite mixed, with the trend evoking laughter from many, but criticism and safety concerns from others.
Potential risks and cautions
While the Fruit Roll-Up challenge may seem harmless at first glance, there are some potential risks and cautions to be aware of. According to Fruit Roll-Ups’ statement on TikTok, eating the plastic liner of the Fruit Roll-Up “is not edible” and could pose a choking hazard (source). The plastic liner helps keep the Fruit Roll-Up intact and should be removed before consumption.
Choking on the plastic liner is not the only safety concern. Attempting to swallow a large, folded or balled up Fruit Roll-Up whole could also obstruct the throat and make it difficult to breathe (source). Parents should advise kids and teens participating in this social media trend to exercise caution and chew thoroughly before swallowing.
There is also a potential allergy risk to keep in mind. Fruit Roll-Ups contain many ingredients that could cause an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals, including food dyes, corn syrup, and certain fruit concentrates. Those with food allergies should check the ingredient label carefully before trying this viral snack challenge.
While social media food challenges can seem like harmless fun, the Fruit Roll-Up trend underscores why thorough chewing, close parental supervision, and allergy awareness remain as important as ever.
Creative variations
While simply applying a Fruit Roll-Up over your mouth and lips to create a comically large pout is the original trend, TikTokers have come up with many creative variations. Some examples include:
– Applying multiple Fruit Roll-Ups at once for an extreme look. For example, TikToker @babyface.connie layered 3 Fruit Roll-Ups on her mouth (source).
– Using different flavors of Fruit Roll-Ups like sour or rainbow to create a multicolored lip look (source).
– Applying a Fruit Roll-Up mustache or beard for a silly facial hair look.
– Putting Fruit Roll-Ups on other body parts like your nose, forehead, or cheeks for unique effects.
– Combining the trend with other viral challenges like the Wipe It Down challenge where the Fruit Roll-Up look suddenly appears.
The possibilities are endless thanks to TikTokers’ creativity. While the original lip pout remains popular, part of what makes this trend so fun to participate in is coming up with your own unique Fruit Roll-Up look.
Impact on Popular Culture
The Fruit Roll-Up lip trend has made a noticeable impact on popular culture, specifically related to beauty standards and trends. Many have pointed out that the exaggerated pout created by the candy reflects increasingly extreme beauty standards promoted on social media. The very plump lips and pronounced cupid’s bow created by the Fruit Roll-Up wrap presents an exaggerated ideal of full, pillowy lips.
The trend’s popularity reinforces the notion that large, highly accentuated lips are a desired beauty trait, especially among young people aiming to mimic what they see trending online. Some experts have suggested the Fruit Roll-Up lip trend promotes unrealistic and unnatural beauty expectations potentially harmful to body image and self-esteem.
At the same time, supporters argue the trend is lighthearted fun that allows creativity and individuality in self-expression. They say the temporarynature of the fuller lips shows an ability to poke fun at and experiment with beauty ideals without taking them too seriously. However, the trend’s social impact likely depends on the age and media literacy of each user.
History of viral food challenges
The Fruit Roll-Up trend on TikTok follows in the footsteps of many viral food challenges that took off on social media over the past decade. Some of the most popular and dangerous challenges included the Cinnamon Challenge, Cheese Challenge, Hot Pepper Challenge, and Gallon Challenge.
Like the Fruit Roll-Up trend, many of these challenges involved recording yourself eating or drinking something in an extreme or odd way. The Cinnamon Challenge from early 2010s dared people to swallow a spoonful of ground cinnamon powder without water. The Hot Pepper Challenge involved eating incredibly spicy peppers on camera.
While viral food challenges may seem fun and harmless, many have raised health and safety concerns. Choking, vomiting, burns, and allergic reactions are all risks associated with these social media dares. However, the popularity of challenges like the Fruit Roll-Up trend show people’s desire for novelty and community through shared experiences.
Advice for parents
It’s important for parents to have open and honest conversations with their kids about trends like the Fruit Roll-Up challenge. Here are some tips for discussing these viral fads safely and effectively:
Stay calm and ask questions. Avoid scolding or shaming them. Ask about what challenges they’ve seen and how their peers react to them. Listen to understand their perspective.(source 1)
Explain the peer pressure aspect. Help them recognize when viral trends are manipulating teens to gain likes and views. Remind them they can make their own choices.(source 2)
Use real examples to illustrate potential harm. Discuss consequences like injuries, choking hazards, allergic reactions or legal trouble. But avoid scare tactics.(source 3)
Suggest ways to respond positively. Recommend using TikTok to showcase talent, support good causes or counter harmful trends with facts.
Keep tabs on their social media. Monitor challenges cropping up and discuss them. Set age-appropriate limits on apps.
Encourage critical thinking before acting. Teach them to double-check “facts” and analyze risks versus rewards.
The future of food trends on TikTok
With new food trends constantly going viral on TikTok, it’s hard to predict exactly what will come next. However, based on current trends and popularity, we may see more recipes and hacks involving unconventional ingredient combinations, extreme flavors, and visually striking presentation techniques.
Some possibilities for future viral food trends on TikTok include increasingly spicy challenges, absurd and over-the-top milkshakes and ice cream concoctions, meals served in hollowed-out fruits or vegetables, and dramatic meat spreads or charcuterie boards. As users continue to push boundaries in hopes of going viral, we’re likely to see more extremes in portion sizes, flavors, colors, textures, and presentation.
Elevated versions of nostalgic snacks from the 90s and early 2000s also seem poised for a comeback, with Gen Z users creating gourmet takes on foods like Dunkaroos, Gushers, and Lunchables. The popularity of nostalgia content gives these childhood favorites potential for a viral resurgence.
We may also see more crossover food trends that bridge social media platforms, bringing viral recipes from TikTok over to platforms like Instagram and YouTube. Food creators will likely aim to maximize viewership and engagement by tailoring trending content across multiple sites.
As TikTok continues to shape food culture and trends, users will keep innovating new ways to blend entertainment value with cooking. The creativity of the platform’s users makes the future possibilities endless for what might go viral next.
