Some Incels Are Bummed About Their Canthal Tilt and Talking About It on TikTok

In its relatively brief history, TikTok users have gotten obsessed with all sorts of phrases and terminology that don't matter a whole lot in the real world. The latest phrase of that sort to go viral on TikTok is canthal tilt, but even as people have started to discuss the term, there are plenty of people who still don't know what it means.

On top of all that, a new filter has also emerged that helps every person determine their canthal tilt, leading to even more confusion.

A canthal tilt describes the angle between your inner eye and your outer eye. If the outside of your eyes is angled upward relative to the inside of your eye, you are said to have a positive canthal tilt, whereas if the outside of your eye is angled downward relative to the inside of your eye, you are said to have a negative canthal tilt. It's also possible to have a neutral tilt, which simply means that your eyes are relatively flat.

Thanks to a new filter on TikTok, it's easy to discover what your canthal tilt is. The filter draws a red line across your eyeline to show you whether your eyes tilt downward, upward or are neutral.

While the filter is interesting, though, it doesn't totally explain why people are so invested in canthal tilts. To answer that question, we have to dig into what canthal tilts supposedly signify.

"Having a positive canthal tilt subconsciously communicates a sharper, younger appearance, whereas a negative canthal tilt or downward-slanted eyes may make you appear more tired or sad," cosmetic dermatologist SurfiaMD said in a clip posted Aug. 4.

"All that's to say this, the way you were born is perfect and you don't have to worry about your canthal tilt," she added.

"Human diversity IS beautiful and we are NOT meant to all look the same," the text on screen said.

The ultimate explanation for why canthal tilts have become such a topic of conversation on TikTok is that there are some essentialists who have argued that a negative canthal tilt means it's over for you. Incels, which is short for "involuntarily celibate," describe an online community that is often filled with misogyny, and who complain that women don't want to sleep with them.

According to some TikTok videos, incels are now obsessed with canthal tilts, and claim that having a negative one is one reason why many of them aren't getting laid.

As SurfiaMD's video points out, though, human diversity is beautiful, and there is no perfect recipe for good looks. What people find attractive is as varied as people themselves are, and it doesn't make a ton of sense to explain all your problems by analyzing your canthal tilt. In all likelihood, it has very little to do with whether you're getting laid or not.