What Is The 'Skinny Girl Walking Sideways' Meme And TikTok Trend?

Towards the end of 2021, TikTokers couldn't believe their eyes when they saw this Skinny Girl Walking Sideways between two strangers on a sidewalk.

The smooth motion to avoid the couple might sound practical, but when observed, it's hilariously unnecessary. That's why when the videos appeared on peoples' "For You" pages last October, they started to be parodied en masse, inspiring users to question their authenticity, as well as wonder who the Asian woman was.

Who exactly is this woman and what is TikTok's "Skinny Sidestep" trend? Let's explain.

What Is The "Skinny Girl Walking Sideways" Meme and Trend?

Back in October 2021, a Chinese creator surfaced in English-speaking TikTok circles. The primary video showed her side-stepping between two people. It's easy to see that the motion is completely impractical and is instead just a way for the woman to flash how skinny she is. Her small waist is emphasized through the gesture.

The earliest known posting of the video was made on October 11th, 2021, by the account @willkime, however, they are not the original creator. Later in October 2021, a second video emerged showing the skinny girl walking sideways between a wall and an escalator. However, the original post was also deleted by the reposter.

Who Is The "Skinny Girl Walking Sideways?"

Although the original posts from her have since been deleted on TikTok, the Skinny Girl Walking Sideways is a real person, however, she's just not a TikToker. Instead, she uploads her content to the Chinese equivalent of TikTok called Douyin. Her name is Xjiemomo, also known as @mnmnooxx00.

Her videos have been reposted to TikTok by one specific account that originally uploaded the videos going viral on the platform. Again, these reposts have been deleted, however, towards the end of 2021, they were reuploaded.

"Skinny Girl Walking Sideways" Usage In Memes

Videos of Xjiemomo doing the skinny sidestep were originally used in memes that parodied them. The first creator to start this trend was content creator Khaby Lame who posted a stitch on October 9th, 2021, that showed him doing an unnecessary dive roll between two sliding doors.

From there, a more notable trend in parodies manifested where TikTokers used the same audio as Xjiemomo and over-dramatized their own skinny sidesteps, having a distorted filter make them appear even skinnier. This played off the idea that Xjiemomo had edited her body in the videos.

Videos also surfaced that layered text giving a funny caption, most often related to being skinny, girlbossing or hyperbolically overeating yet still flaunting one's body or self as healthy. A good example would be asking for lettuce on one's cheeseburger, feeling proud about the "healthy" decision and then doing the skinny sidestep as a demonstration.

Is The "Skinny Girl Walking Sideways" Video Edited?

It's been highly speculated that Xjiemomo's videos as a whole are edited to make her appear skinnier than reality. Her chest, bottom and face have all been said to be emphasized, resulting in discussions related to mental health and unrealistic beauty standards on social media.

In the first video of Xjiemomo stepping sideways, it's clearly visible that the background warps behind her. Video editing technology such as hers has been highlighted in content created by others trying to shed light on its potentially harmful impact.

For the full history of "Skinny Girl Walking Sideways," be sure to check out our entry on the meme here for more information.