What Does 'Vabbing' Mean, And Why Are People Talking About 'Vabbing At The Gym'? The TikTok Trend Explained

TikTok generates some of the 21st century's most egregiously pseudoscientific dating advice, whether it's all the dark femininity videos that aimed to teach women how to seduce men or the thousands of Sigma stare memes that populate the average teen boy's FYP.

Despite the plethora of mating rituals and advice shared on the video-sharing app, there is perhaps no one recipe for finding love more doomed to failure than vabbing, a method devised by women who think that their bodily fluids are the secret to attracting men. Here's a recap of the trend.

Where Does 'Vabbing' Mean?

The term 'vabbing' is supposedly a method where women dab a bit of their vaginal secretions behind their ears to attract men who are supposedly drawn to the primal pheromones. The term first appeared online on Urban Dictionary in 2019, with the word seemingly being devised from a combination of the words "vagina" and "dabbing."

What's Up With Videos About 'Vabbing At The Gym' On TikTok?

In 2022, the idea of "vabbing" took off on TikTok, largely thanks to the work of TikToker @jewlieah who posted a series of videos many still aren't sure are ironic or sincere. In the videos, @jewlieah talks about how she has been "vabbing" at the gym to attract male attention, a technique that she claims actually paid off in the short run.

What Do Other People Think About 'Vabbing,' And Does It Work?

Long story short, there is no actual scientific evidence that "vabbing" or any other pheromone or bodily-fluid-based method actually works to attract a potential mate. Many dermatologists on TikTok posted videos about the bizarre trend and weighed in with their professional opinions, even as other TikTokers expressed horror at the idea of going to a gym with people who dab their own secretions on their bodies.

For the full history of "vabbing," be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.