A new TikTok trend dubbed “I hate this picture of myself” has recently gone viral, with people sharing slides of photos in one post and their insecurities about their bodies. The trend has seen a mixture of responses, with many content creators following the trend earnestly to prove a point about beauty standards and social media, and others riffing on the trend with comedic parodies poking fun at themselves.
‘I hate this picture of myself…’
The trend gained popularity in late December 2024, with creators like the anonymous @user194639478 sharing what she doesn’t like about her body in her post set to the song “I’m Not Them” by Them & I.
Some of the things she didn’t like about herself in the photos include a double chin, a crooked smile, acne scars, and a round face.
She ended the post by saying in a text overlay, “The whole point was that even though you may notice things doesn’t mean everyone else does, don’t judge yourself so hard.”
People shared their thoughts and their own insecurities in the comments of her TikTok post.
@champel11 wrote, “truly went back to each picture and didn’t notice any of them. you are beautiful and this was such a eye opener for me. thank you for this 💗💗”
“Actually in the one pic I thought about how I was envious of your straight smile and you said you thought it looked crooked,” commented @lilymilesss, to which OP replied with a simple, “thank u for this.”
‘I hate this picture of myself..but you probably didn’t notice that I was spinning out on the green line…’
It wasn’t long before the TikTok trend got flipped on its head, with creators using self-effacing humor to make light of things that could be viewed negatively. For example, @abraham.jack shared a series of photos of himself intoxicated and blacked out in various locations in a parody of the trend, calling these moments “small imperfections” to let go of.
In a response to a request for comment via Instagram DM, Jack added, “I saw the trend all over my for you page and I got the idea to put a funny twist on trend highlighting my crazy college nights out in Boston.”
He added, “My intention was definitely a funny, lighthearted nod to the [trend] but it turned into a larger conversation about drinking, and alcoholism which is a very serious matter that I understand and can empathize with.”
Several TikTokers have also made parodies of the trend using “bad” photos of themselves as examples showing that not everyone’s imperfections are hidden and that what you focus on in your photos may not be the thing that other people notice about you.
@aimyoncee’s example of the trend parody includes things such as wrinkled shirts, “butter teeth,” and crooked headbands.
There have also been many posts commenting on the negativity surrounding the viral trend. In their post about the topic, TikToker @europeanfella3 wrote:
“The ‘I hated this picture of myself,’ trend is so sad. Because I went through the same thing. Now I’m seeing friends do it, and it saddens me so so so much, because I wish they saw how beautiful they are! […] YOU are one of a kind, that may sound cliche but WHATEVER!!!! There is literally no one like YOU, that’s the part of the beauty of being a human! YOU are beautiful in your own special way.”
@user194639478 and @aimyoncee did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok direct message.
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