If You've Been Augusted, We're So Sorry

August is truly sipping away like a bottle of wine, as Taylor Swift memorably sang in her song "august" off the "folklore" album. The track is a resounding finale in the fictional love triangle Taylor detailed throughout the album, but the experience is not purely a fictional one for many.

On TikTok, many users have started claiming to be "augusted," sharing videos of themselves running and lip syncing along to the popular "folklore" track. But what does it mean to be augusted? Let's break down the meaning of yet another odd TikTok trend.

To really understand what it means to be "augusted," you need to understand the fictional love story that takes place throughout the various songs on "folklore." Following the album's release, Taylor discussed these three teenagers in depth, noting their torrid love affair and the situationship that happened over the course of a summer between Augustine, James, and Betty.

The track "august" from "folklore" tells the story of the teenage love triangle from the perspective of Augustine, the girl who James cheated on Betty with. Augustine is supposedly in love with James, and despite knowing that he has had a torrid love affair with Betty, still pines for his attention.

The track's lyrics repeatedly oscillate between "it was never mine" and "you were never mine," confirming that Augustine knew that her love affair with James was never going to last.

The bridge, during which Taylor sings, "Remember when I pulled up and said, 'Get in the car' / And then canceled my plans just in case you'd call? / Back when I was livin' for the hope of it all, for the hope of it all," depicts Augustine as a teenager desperately holding onto the attention and short-lived romantic affection James gave her. She would cancel plans in the hopes that he would want to see her, "living for the hope of it all."

To be "augusted" means you're being put in the same position as the fictional Augustine. On TikTok, when a user makes a video about being "augusted," they're acknowledging that they're in a situationship that was never meant to last, as the person they're waiting on has their sights set on someone else. In some instances, these users may be admitting that they're the other woman in a relationship (whether knowing it or not), and they're accepting that they're not Betty -- they're Augustine.

It's ultimately another trend that's being used to make light of less-than-ideal situations. TikTok is home to plenty of dating stories (many of them quite sad), and being augusted is just another way those users are using humor to cope with their situation. Obviously, the ideal isn't to relate to "august," but instead one of Taylor's more hopeful love tracks, like "New Year's Day" from "reputation" or "So High School" from "The Tortured Poets Department."