“Boots and a slick back bun” is one of a series of chants from a viral July 2024 TikTok video showing off fashion combos with a dance. As well as “cowboy boots and a blowie” and “Sambas and a little red bag,” these repeated phrases uttered in the original set off of new meme that spread to celebrities in record time.
The trend cycle has already gone all the way around to “cringe” following an entry by the company thb Skincare known as “Gen Z boss and a mini.”
Original ‘boots and a slick back bun’ and ‘Sambas and a little red bag’ TikTok video
The original “boots and a slick back bun” video appeared on the TikTok account of @maisieisobel_ on June 29, 2024, and has gained over 7.6 million views as of July 12.
@maisieisobel_ Boots and a slick back bun @Ellie Lord @Amelia Gregorian #bootsandaslickbackbun #girlhood #cowboybootsandablowie #sambasandalittleredbag ♬ Boots and a slick back bun – maisieisobel_
The footage shows three women in succession with their distinct fashion combination choices as the three of them chant the content of these outfits and do a bit of a dance meant to highlight the two items named.
The first combo is “boots and slick back bun,” which has become the phrase most associated with the meme.
What is the ‘boots and a slick back bun’ trend on TikTok?
As the original went viral, other TikTok users jumped to make their own versions of the meme. Popular imitations have shown off fashion combos such as “diamonds and an all black look” and “boots and a statement pant.”
@melissalammle Braids and a little red bag #bootsandaslickbackbun #ootd ♬ original sound – Melissa Lammle
Due to the meme’s clear fashion theme, related companies were quick to take advantage of the trend by releasing their own videos, often filmed in the office. Even the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders TikTok account got in on the fun.
Amy Poehler’s ‘hoops and a short black dress’
After the fashion companies, the meme caught the attention of popular celebrities. One of the biggest names to hop on the trend was actress Amy Poehler, who make a TikTok video with herself, Rashida Jones, and Rachel Dratch modeling their own outfits while Seth Meyers crosses the shot behind them each time for some reason.
@amypoehler summer in the city
♬ original sound – Amy Poehler
The TikTok entry gained over 31.7 million views in just two days, solidifying the trend’s viral meme status.
Dratch went first with her “hoops and a black short dress,” which is what you’re most likely to search in order to find the video. Jones followed with a “pony and a cashmere shirt,” wrapping up with Poehler in her “Sambas and a little blue bag.”
What’s the ‘Gen Z boss and a mini’ video?
Not every iteration of this meme has been well-received by the public. Many viewers panned a “boots and a slick back bun” style video made by the company tbh Skincare, deriding it as “cringe.”
Much of this hate seems to have originally come from the more misogynistic sewers of the internet. It’s difficult to determine why the so-called “manosphere” zeroed in on this video in particular out of the hundreds of entries related to the meme without diving into the muck — and we’re not doing that — but the sexism soon oozed beyond their borders.
Why all the hate?
There has been speculation that the idea of women being in charge is what got them so upset, as the first chant in this video is “Gen Z boss and a mini.” However, they were not the only ones who were repelled by this. More normal internet users have also referred to tbh Skincare’s entry as embarrassing, potentially because of the exhausted “girlboss” concept.
Generation Z in particular tends to hate when corporations take over a meme. It’s a little like when your parents got into a trend, making it instantly uncool. This combined with the evocation of the capitalistic idea of the “girlboss” that reduces feminism to how much money and power you can grab within the system has raised accusations of cringe.
The viral repost of the tbh Skincare video to Twitter reads “the HR department 1h before doing engineering layoffs.”
Examples
More TikTok trends:
- White tube top girl’s viral TikTok dance turns her into a meme
- The blue sweatpants girl who nailed the TikTok Tyla dance
- Who is the ‘spit on that thing’ (hawk tuah) girl?
- ‘Do you speak English or Spanish?’: The meme making people gay
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