My PFP

About

My PFP refers to a trend and social game on TikTok collected largely under the hashtag #mypfp^[1] where users describe a situation they're going through in life and present a number of potential profile pictures that are meant to determine the status of that situation. For example, if the TikToker is waiting for a test grade, they would present through a #mypfp video a number of potential PFPs that they'll display if they get a certain grade. By referencing the video and their current PFP, the viewer can tell which grade the TikToker received.

Origin

The My PFP trend began sometime prior to September 9th, 2020. Early examples of the trend are much more simple. They typically start with an on-screen caption that reads, "What my profile pictures mean" followed by a slideshow of various pictures matching the theme of their current profile picture and a description over top of each describing the mood of that picture (examples from September 9th and 21st shown below respectively).

In late October, TikTokers began expanding on the format, adding the interactive component. On October 19th, TikToker bbaston630 uploaded a video featuring the on-screen caption, "have a paper due at midnight, pfp is my grade" (shown below, left). The video then cuts through a number of potential profile pictures attached to grades, with a final PFP labeled "waiting," which remains the users PFP as of October 29th. The video garnered over 3.2 million views as of the same date. On the same date (October 19th), TikToker katie_beaver7 uploaded a version of the trend also relating to the score of a math test, garnering over 567,000 views in 10 days (shown below, right). It's unclear which video came first.

Spread

The trend and hashtag #mypfp began to spread around the platform, with more TikTokers making variations of the format. On October 22nd, TikToker alyssabredin uploaded a version presenting potential profile pictures to determine the status of a job interview, gaining over 2.2 million views in a week (shown below, left). On October 25th, TikToker imshootingmyshotyall uploaded a version of the trend with potential PFPs relating to asking her crush out, garnering over 11.8 million views in 4 days (shown below, right).

During the week of October 26th, the hashtag #mypfp reached TikTok's trending page, giving it a significant boost. As of October 29th, videos under the hashtag have collected over 36.1 million total views.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References