Scrolling through TikTok, it’s easy to encounter myopic slang, cryptic phrases, and niche communities, some of which become the next big viral moment. Yet, one such trend has users especially confused, and for good reason: its whole purpose is to help challenge what’s real and what isn’t: The Lamp Looks Weird TikTok trend is all about the ambiguous catchphrase at the end of these videos, indicating to the viewer that, sadly, all is not what it seems.
@porsha_mcnab If only
♬ original sound – audios
What does “The lamp looks weird” mean?
TikTokers use the phrase “the lamp looks weird” to indicate that the narrator in the video is dreaming or in a dream-like state. This surrealistic lens indicates that what transpired in the video didn’t happen, or happened in the past. In many cases, the narrator wishes that they could be present in that bygone or non-existent time.
What happens in these TikToks?
A typical video starts when a TikTok user recounts a story or event, concluding the tale with a reference to a “lamp looking weird.” Often, these videos will pause after the catchphrase appears, giving the viewer time to process what they’ve just experienced.
@nina.super.privv #fyp ♬ original sound – audios
Origin
The origin of the lamp story can be traced to a 13-year-old comment posted in the Glitch_in_the_Matrix subreddit. In 2011, a since-deleted prompt asked Redditors, “Have you ever felt a deep personal connection to a person you met in a dream, only to wake up feeling terrible because you realize they never existed?”
That same year, user @temptotasssoon responded with his own experience, recounting a time when he was knocked unconscious on a football field. In this unconscious state, the user described living an entirely different and happy life, one with a wife and two kids. The narrator eventually notices a lamp in his living room that “looked weird,” unraveling this “alternate reality” triggered by his injury.
The comment was deleted, and in 2014 pasted into a new post by Redditor @TriumphantGeorge, who wanted to “give the story its proper place in glitch history.” This repost received over 32,000 upvotes and 17,000 comments.
Spread
Though earlier TikToks have discussed the original Reddit comment, on Sept. 13, 2024 user @AlexMunches posted one of the first where she related the “Lamp experience” to her own life.
@aleksmunches Lord forbid #foryoupage #fypシ゚ #viral #fypage ♬ you are valued – mac
The trend gained momentum in 2024 November, with users posting the catchphrase “the lamp looks weird” to indicate surreality in their own lives or the desire to live in an alternate, more positive, universe. In December 2024, the trend gained more momentum.
@j2com ♬ original sound – audios
Cultural context
Beyond challenging the viewer’s perception of reality, the subtext of many of these videos indicates that many users yearn for something that isn’t real, and likely never was been. This wistfulness for a time or scenario that never existed is known in Portuguese-speaking cultures as “suadade,” and—as indicated by this TikTok trend—can be a potent feeling in times of uncertainty, both in the present as well as the past.
Examples
@lysssaaa559 #fypシ #lamplooksweird #fyfyfyfy #explorepage✨ ♬ Very Sad – Enchan
@camigustis Like dang okay
♬ original sound – audios
@theidesofmatthias It will never be the same. #fyp #foryoupage #viralvideo #trend #lamp ♬ original sound – audios
More TikTok trends:
- ‘We Got To Celebrate Our Differences’: The ‘Wonder Showzen’ parody, explained
- Why are people commenting ‘Raw. Next Question’ on videos of hot guys?
- The viral ‘We Listen And We Don’t Judge’ TikTok trend is causing savage breakups
- A clip of 4-year-old Barron Trump saying ‘I Like My Suitcase’ is now a TikTok meme
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