Content warning: This story mentions eating disorders.
Another week, another wholesome TikTok trend. My FYP has gotten so boring recently, but this week is a welcome change. Every other TikTok seems to be JJ and Rafe Outer Banks edits or Octopusslover8 (I’m obsessed). But I’ve also seen a bunch of new videos talking about creators’ healing journeys, listing the changes that came about once they healed. I didn’t really know what was going on with the new trend at first – it was almost as confusing for me as the mascara wand trend from January. I really had to scroll through the comment sections for a while to figure it out.
Creators have been listing noticeable changes to their style, daily habits, and relationship with food. “Somewhere in between” these changes, the creators say that they’ve healed. The lists of changes are an indicator of their healing journey. Users have been tying it all together with Novo Amor’s song “Anchor” in the background, and I find the videos absolutely adorable.
The trend has picked up over the past few days – the TikTok hashtag #somewhereinbetween is already at 5.9 million views and counting.
One of the most-liked videos under the trend comes from user @samanthahefflinger, who talks about their own healing journey with the caption, “finally free💗💗”.
A few of the changes that Hefflinger noted were a transition from “leggings to maxi skirts,” “rice cakes to mac and cheese,” and “air forces to mary janes.”
“This made me so happy”, writes one user. Additionally, the top comment (with over 16k likes) says, “The rice cakes to mac and cheese hit so hard-”
The trend has resonated with TikTok users, especially the changes in their relationship with food. More and more creators have been participating in the trend, focusing exclusively on how they healed from disordered eating.
But unlike the recent “she lives in me” trend, not everyone finds “somewhere in between” wholesome. Some users have dismissed the trend, saying that these changes aren’t a sign of healing, it’s just following style trends.
TikTok user @pronehater posted a video saying that the trend is just showing transitions from “alt” to “clean girl”. With her TikTok gaining 33K likes, it seems other users may agree.
However, most seem to share the sentiment that the trend is not about how these things did the healing, they are meant to show how their healing can be seen on the outside.
“They’re describing the difference between then and now saying they’ve healed… not that switching from baggy jeans to flare leggings has healed them”, writes user @katechalu.
All in all, it’s refreshing to see people sharing their healing journey on a site as big as TikTok. Healing is all about you, and if that means swapping out your foundation for a tinted moisturizer, so be it.