What Does Big Back Mean? The Internet Is Split Over The Latest TikTok Trend

In the dynamic world of internet slang, terms emerge and evolve at breakneck speed, often leaving even the savviest netizens scrambling to keep up. If you've recently scrolled through your TikTok feed, you've probably seen a few videos from people admitting their most embarrassing big back moments. But, what does big back mean?

While most of us know that having a big back is a comment towards someone's behind, a newer interpretation of big back has emerged on TikTok, connecting the term to the ability to consume large quantities of food. Videos under related sounds, such as "Big Backs Unite," feature users engaging in eating challenges or humorously showcasing their appetite, expanding the term's usage into the realm of eating habits and behavior.

People who are participating in the big back trend will post slideshows, videos, or single photos of the large meals they're eating. One X (formerly Twitter) user shared a photo of fried chicken, mac and cheese, and collard greens and stated the food pictured is the "reason why I got a big back."

On TikTok, people are sharing their late-night snacks, dinners, and desserts underneath the big back hashtag. Kai Kyianna on TikTok shares a meal she made: "big back box I made for my fiance, my son and my sister." She captioned the video "BBB Box. Double cheeseburger w/ bacon, wings & loaded fries! Big back meal under 45 mins," and showcased the recipes she used to make the entire box.

However, not everyone on TikTok is happy about the big back trend. Several users on TikTok and X pointed out that they believe the big back trend is rooted in fatphobia while sharing a collage of screenshots they took from TikTok videos underneath #bigback.

TikTok user @Georgiarosecurves took to her page to share her opinion on the trend and said "It's 2024, y'all can't think of better jokes? You're just going to take low-hanging fruit and make fun of people who have different body types than you? You don't think the people who are built like that wish they could have a more socially acceptable body type?"

Adanna on X shared a compilation of videos from TikTok underneath the big back trend that showcased people stuffing the backs of their shirts to make themselves appear to have a larger back. She shared, "I don’t care what anybody says but this ‘big back trend’ is getting out of hand this is fatphobia in broad daylight, y'all find a need word to replace fat with and then romanticize it while demonizing actual fat people."