You’ve probably seen a pic of your classmate showing up on your news feed who looks virtually unrecognizable. Their knock-out looks and confident smile are nothing like you remember seeing by the end of high school. These jaw-dropping transformations, known as glow-ups, have been surfing around social media and you can see what I mean with glow-up pics after moving out of conservative homes, 10-year challenge glow-ups, and mental health glow-ups.
But in reality, not every glow is up. Armed with a smashing sense of humor, one woman, @gabslife99, has posted a TikTok video to initiate the glow-down challenge. The caption of the now-viral video said: “I physically peaked in high school. Like, the hottest I’ve ever been was when I was 18. I look nothing like that now.”
More women got on board to share their own before and after snaps of the glow-up in reverse. Both honest and comical, the glow-downs are a fun response to near-perfect glow-ups that often are too far from reality. Ultimately, looks don’t even matter, since we are beautiful in our own way.
This woman posted a viral video on TikTok saying she physically peaked in high school
Bored Panda reached out to Gabrielle McDonald, who posted the viral video on TikTok challenging everyone to share their glow-down snaps, and she shared how she came up with the idea. After watching so many TikToks on her “for you” page about people “glowing up,” Gabrielle got seriously fed up.
“It was annoying me that I couldn't participate in that challenge, so I made one I could participate in,” she laughed. On a more serious note, Gabrielle said that she feels like “it sets an unrealistic goal for most people as we all don’t get to have drastic 'glow-ups.'"
"Sure, something like weight loss or leaving a toxic relationship is a huge glow-up that I support. But people who just hit puberty and/or put a bunch of makeup on and call it a 'glow-up' gives off a vibe I’m not okay with,” she said. The woman urges everyone to think of people who are suffering with being insecure about who they are, as the glow-up TikToks may set a pretty bad example to them.
And she challenged everyone to share their glow-down snaps too
Gabrielle, who didn’t expect her challenge to go as viral as it did, said it was all spur-of-the-moment and that she didn’t expect anything to come of it.
At this point, she hopes that what people would take away from the glow-down challenge is the realization that “it’s completely normal to not look how you might have done a while back. It’s okay to feel confident in the way you look now and not dwell on how you used to be.”
“We should love ourselves just the way we are and not try to set unrealistic goals for ourselves,” she concluded.
In no time, other women on TikTok have joined the humorous challenge
Image credits: mack_bell11
Image credits: pinkellewoods
Image credits: aylor_liiight
Image credits: happymadimoo
Image credits: anitatrzebunia
Image credits: carolinekraemer_
Image credits: bellabetten
Image credits: foreverfloow
Image credits: maghenhamilton
Image credits: angelicalovestiktokkkk
Image credits: elixriv
Image credits: broooksterr
Image credits: melissasuggitt
Image credits: willyssaga
Image credits: ranch_mammi
The concept of individuals experiencing a dramatic change in appearance over time, be it a glow-up or a glow-down, highlights the transient nature of beauty standards. This aligns with the notion that our perceptions of attractiveness can evolve, much like the participants who once felt they peaked in high school but later embraced their natural selves.
To explore these nuanced perspectives further, consider the broader societal implications discussed in this cultural phenomenon.