What is the ‘boots and a slick back bun’ trend on TikTok? Viral videos explained

The catchy ‘boots and a slick back bun’ song has been going viral on TikTok and involves groups of friends making videos hyping up each other’s oufits.

Yes, you’ll be singing the song in your head every time you put on a new outfit, but this trend also provides a wholesome lens on friendship.

The trend has become so popular that even celebrities like Amy Poehler have been making videos singing the song, but what does the ‘boots and a slick back bun’ trend actually mean? And where did it come from?

Where did ‘boots and a slick back bun’ come from?

Maisie Sellwood, Amelia Gregorian and Eloise Lord, three friends from London, were heading out for some drinks and began chanting, “boots and a slick back bun” as this is what one of the girls was wearing.

The song then evolved, and they started chanting along to the same tune but changing the lyrics to match each person’s outfit. The song then involves to contain, “cowboy boots and a blowout” and “sambas and a little red bag”.

What started out as an in-joke between a group of friends amassed over 6 million views in two days after it was posted on June 29, and has since inspired other friend groups to use the trend as a way to hype each other up before a night out.

The trend has been used by lots of people now, including restaurant workers in Boston, residents at a senior living center in Colorado, and staff at an animal rescue organization in Arizona, who used the meme to model shelter pets saying, “Cute face with a curly tail, cute face with a curly tail.”

SNL star Amy Poehler even used the trend to showcase her, Rashida Jones, and Rachel Dratch’s outfits for a day out in NYC. Seth Meyers even makes a cameo in the video as they chant, “cashmere shirt and a pony, cashmere shirt and a pony.”

What does ‘boots and a slick back bun’ mean?

It may not actually mean anything, but the trend is creating a wholesome movement on TikTok. This trend is reminiscent of the “Hi, Barbie” trend that was popular back in 2023 after the release of the Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. This trend saw women greeting each other saying, “Hi, Barbie!” and was a way for groups of women to showcase their strong female friendships.

People in the comments of these viral videos seem to find a similar resonance in this trend and have been comparing the girls in the original video to The Powerpuff Girls.

“We are inherently and organically each other’s hype women,” Ms. Sellwood, of the original video, told The New York Times.

All the recreations of the video have had people tagging themselves and identifying as certain outfits, with one person saying, “Boots and a statement pant” is me in the Winter.” And, “Tag yourself, I’m dad sneakers and a cropped white tee.”

This fun and catchy trend has people on TikTok hoping it never dies as they use it for outfit inspiration, and also a way to hype up their friends.

This isn’t the only fun TikTok trend going viral, have you thought about having a Ben Affleck Summer?