Fairy Flying Trend

About

The Fairy Flying Trend is a TikTok trend where users make it appear as though they're floating like fairies by lifting themselves into the air with a hoist or by pulling themselves up on an object while filming their legs or feet only. The trend, often posted under the hashtag "#fairyflying," became popularized in early 2020 and continued to inspire videos over the following years. In 2023, the media began to report that the trend could be potentially harmful as, in some examples of the trend, it looks as though the participants are dangling from the ceiling as if they've been hanged.

Origin

Around March 2020, TikTokers began posting videos claiming they're fairies where they film their feet and legs lifting off the ground using various methods to hoist themselves upward, making it look like they're flying. One of the earliest examples of the trend was posted by TikToker^[1] @koolkidady on March 8th, 2020, garnering over 9.9 million views in three years (shown below). This is not the original video. An earlier, now-deleted example was re-uploaded to Twitter^[2] the day prior on March 7th, 2020, captioned, "DID SIS JUST HANG HERSELF FOR A TIKTOK?!"

On March 9th, YouTuber^[3] Sydney Raynell posted a video showcasing one method of doing the trend, where participants push themselves up on a dresser with their hands while filming their legs, garnering over 197,000 views in three years (shown below).

Spread

The trend continued to spread over the following years, using several methods of making the TikToker^[4][5] appear as if they're flying (examples shown below). Some videos also feature the camera flying away from the user, as if filmed from a fairy's POV.

On June 29th, 2023, TIkToker^[6] @fairylivxoxo posted a fairy flying video where she shows her entire body and makes it appears as if she's flying by standing on a dresser and placing her shoes in a manner where the soles face the camera, garnering over 146,000 views in a month (shown below, left). This is one of the most popular fairy flying methods. TikTok attached a warning to the video, claiming it could cause harm (shown below, left). On July 24th, TikToker^[7] @emmytherattypatty posted a fairy flying video using the same method that gained over 3.3 million views in four days (shown below, right).

2023 Warnings

In July 2023, the media began reporting on the potential dangers of the trend, suggesting it could trigger people with suicidal ideation and encourage them to hang themselves. On July 26th, 2023, the New York Post^[8] published an article titled "Disturbing ‘fairy-flying’ trend sparks suicide concerns" where they specifically mention @emmytherattypatty's video and quote Dr. Josh Stein, an adolescent psychiatrist for Newport Healthcare’s PrairieCare program, who says:

"The #fairflying trend could be triggering or bring about negative emotions for people who have experienced suicidal ideation or have loved ones who’ve attempted or committed suicide. Even in its most innocent form, videos that depict people hanging could be disturbing to some. This speaks to one of the major challenges of TikTok and social media -- things go live and without awareness of potential consequences or warnings."

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References