A New TikTok Craze Involves Rubbing the Underside of Your Tongue — Here Are the Details

The latest trend to go viral on TikTok puts a tactile sensation into the focal point.

Jordyn Jones (@jordynjones), Julie Visnes (@julieevisnes), and Caroline Lewis (@carollewwho) are just some of the influencers who have already hopped on the new craze, using the soundtrack by a TikToker named vinnie (@vhackerxeditz) to test out an increasingly popular hypothesis. So, why is the trend blowing up? Where does the name, Rubbing Under Tongue trend, come from?

Content warning: if you're under 21, give this article a pass.

The first short clips showing TikTok users rubbing the underside of their tongues started to generate buzz in the fall of 2021. The trend is relatively similar to D.I.Y optical illusions like the "Hole in Your Hand" (which involves tricking your brain into thinking that you have a hole in your hand only using your hand and a narrow tube). It, too, builds on an almost brain glitch-like scenario.

You can still close the tab, by the way. The Rubbing Under Tongue trend garnered popularity on TikTok because it points to the shocking similarity between the underside of the tongue and a penis. Some social media users chose to rub the tip of their tongue — which is divided into sections by the lingual veins — while others went for the lower half of the tongue.

The tongue sometimes gets falsely credited as the strongest muscle of the human body (a misconception that overlooks the fact that the tongue comprises eight muscles), which may explain the textural similarities.

A TikToker named Caroline Lewis (@carollewwho) uploaded a short video capturing her reaction on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021.

"I cannot believe this, I refuse," she captioned the short clip.

Using her right pinky, she starts to swiftly rub the bottom of her tongue. The video ends with her laughing into the camera, which, arguably, may indicate that she found some similarities.

Another TikToker named Paris Jolien (@paris_jolien) opted for a more discreet strategy, using her index finger to rub the underside of her tongue. Midway through the clip, she flashes a smile at the camera, waves her hand, and nods her head, perhaps to signal that she too found the idea the trend builds on accurate. But others had different reactions. Julie Visnes took it to the social media platform to highlight her experiences as a gay woman who tried the TikTok trend.

"Lesbians after trying this trend," reads her caption.

"I don't really get it, to be honest," she jokingly remarks after trying the trend. "I thought they were playing the violin. That's what I thought they did."

Actress, YouTuber, and influencer Jordyn Jones uploaded her take on the trend only recently.

Shot in what looks like a moderately busy waiting area, the clip shows Jordyn as she removes her mask before proceeding to swiftly rub her left pinky against the bottom half of her tongue. Her face remains largely expressionless throughout the experiment. At the end of the TikTok clip, she casually puts her mask back on.