Today’s non-election obsession: TikTok portal #comingofage, where savvy users are turning just about anything into the ending of a coming-of-age teen movie from the early 2000s. That means well-timed pauses, remembering dead parents, standing up to domineering adults, and telling their new crush that they’re “not like other girls.” All of this usually (and appropriately) takes place against the Blondes song “Coming of Age.”
According to Know Your Meme, the trend’s origins remain somewhat unclear, possibly starting earlier his year with TikTok user salmanoren depicting his life as a snappy coming-of-age montage a la Ferris Bueller.
@salmanoren Hope I’m not the only one #fyp #foryoupage #comingofage
celeste_elizabeth4 may have been the first to use the Blondes song and everything snowballed from there.
https://www.tiktok.com/@southernbelleinsults/video/6844233387549478149
Nobody, however, does it quite like user dxnielbennett. In a handful of videos, he reimagines the most mundane tasks as the ending of any number of young-adult rom-coms from the aughts. Here he is getting an oil change:
@dxnielbennett Apparently every time I get an oil change my car is broken
And here he is ordering Chipotle.
@dxnielbennett Gets me every time. Inspo: @bettercallhall
And here he is pregaming:
@dxnielbennett Happens to the best of us
The affectionate sideways glances; the goodnatured head-shaking and downward gaze, followed by an upward look and smile; the false exit, only to get called back by the love (or cashier) of your life—it’s all very on point. You can imagine Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachel Leigh Cook, Jennifer Love Hewitt, or any of the era’s other three-named stars slipping easily into these roles.
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3 Comments
The cringe is strong
On the last school day of high school, my school hosted a talent show. My friend and I were working the lights and soundboard and watching everything unfold. Well, as the final band finished its last song, a teacher started playing “Good Riddance” on his guitar, and the band started playing along. I later learned this was not planned. Students began to bumrush the stage, our principal began to dance, and my friend accidentally hit a pre-programmed light scheme that turned the stage and auditorium into basically a dance club. It was very much “last scene before the freezeframe credits,” and I thank God I was not physically a part of it.The week before on senior skip day nearly all of my class went to the beach and drunk beer and hung out. One kid got alcohol poisoning, ended up in the hospital, and then still showed up to class the next day where he received a standing ovation.
Eh, personally I wish life ended more like raunchy-yet-g00d-hearted 1970s-1980s sex comedies, but you don’t see me trying to force the subject everywhere I go online.Ah, who am I kidding? Hey everyone! Let’s party!