4 days ago
Teens Are 'Meltmaxxing' Now — Here's What That Actually Means
TikTok trends are unpredictable. Sometimes they are toxic or a sign of a deeper issue; other times, they are just fun. The newest trend taking over your teen's For You Page falls in the latter category. It's called 'meltmaxxing' — and it's a harmless (and funny!) trend that teens are using to embrace their silly side.
What Is Meltmaxxing?
Meltmaxxing is a trend where teens will film themselves trying to reach 100 percent 'melted.' It starts at '0% melt,' where they just smile normally. Then it goes to 10 or 25 percent melt, where they tilt their heads back a little to give themselves a double chin. Then they go up to 50 percent, 75 percent, etc., increasingly creating more double chins in the camera until they reach 100 percent, where they are fully 'meltmaxxed.' Here's another example.
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And that's basically it! One TikToker explained meltmaxxing like this: 'This is not referring to the other videos where they're talking about standing in the sun until you physically and spiritually dissolve,' she explains. Instead, this is just 'squish[ing] your face into yourself and you end up with six chins.'
She shared that the comments are confusing people because everyone is acting like meltmaxxing is 'dangerous.' People are commenting things to make it seem like risky behavior doing it 'in front of your mom' or 'on public transport,' but it's all part of the silliness. There's not actually anything more to meltmaxxing then these silly triple chins.
'This is people just being silly and having fun,' the TikToker says.
Meltmaxxing Is a Joke About Maxxing Culture
Meltmaxxing is unserious and silly, and it pokes fun at a more problematic trend where people are 'maxxing' to become more intense versions of themselves. 'Maxxing' in general is a video game term, where 'max' means reaching full development of character traits.
For example, 'looksmaxxing,' where teen boys show how they alter their appearance to fit into masculine ideals, such as starting a new skincare regimen, working out, getting a new haircut, and undergoing cosmetic surgery. There have also been 'sleepmaxxing' to get the most optimal sleep, 'wealthmaxxing' to strive to make more money, 'healthmaxxing' to create more healthy habits, and more.
Teens have confusing slang — and we're pretty sure all generations have thought that about their teens too — but if you need help deciphering what Gen Z and Gen Alpha are talking about or doing online, we've compiled this handy guide of SheKnows
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