About

The Siren Gaze, Siren Eyes and Sirenmaxxing are slang terms that fall under the larger umbrella concept of Dark Femininity or Dark Femme, which embodies a feminine energy and appearance that seduces and draws power from men. The gaze is characterized by simultaneously raising one's eyebrows, looking up and slightly parting the lips. It's become a notable signifier of modern Girlboss, Bimbofication and E-girl meme discourse on platforms like TikTok and Twitter in 2022. It's also been said to be the female counterpart to Sigma Male memes, the Sigma Stare and "Hunter Eyes." Notable women who are often used as examples are Julia Fox, Megan Fox and Maddy Perez from Euphoria. A related trend is the Dissociative Pout.

Origin

As a precursor, a "siren" refers to Greek mythology and is defined as a dangerous feminine creature who lures nearby sailors and ships with enchanting music and singing, similar to a mermaid.^[1] In literature like The Odyssey, they are known to hide in rocks and cliffs off seashores.

Although "Siren Eyes" isn't specifically mentioned in many encyclopedia articles regarding sirens in general, the creature's eyes were referenced as a beauty aesthetic in the early 2010s on platforms like Twitter^[2] and Instagram.^[3]

A major proponent of the siren eyes aesthetic early on was Dr. Dinyar Workingboxwalla who in mid-2013 wrote multiple beauty blogs^[4] and articles^[5] about the benefit of "siren eyes makeup." Dr. Workingboxwalla even wrote a book titled Beauty Unleashed^[6] in May 2013 that additionally outlined her theories on "Siren Eyes."

Siren Eyes makeup then found a home on TikTok most notably in late 2021. One of the earliest videos about siren makeup was posted on November 13th, 2021, by TikToker^[11] alkiiwii, who received roughly 114,500 plays and 8,800 likes for her "The Siren" tutorial over the course of nine months (shown below).

Spread

Doe Eyes vs. Siren Eyes

Online conversations regarding Siren Eyes didn't take off en masse until December 2021 when users on TikTok started comparing the concepts of Doe Eyes and Siren Eyes to each other, trying to gauge who had what and which was more desirable.

On December 23rd, 2021, TikToker^[7] coopergeere started this conversation with a video that received roughly 19,900 plays and 2,900 likes in eight months (shown below, left). On December 24th, 2021, TikToker^[8] sriiya__ posted a video comparing the two eye types that gained more engagement, earning roughly 4.9 million plays and 735,500 likes in eight months (shown below, right).

By January 2022, the comparison trend continued to grow with each video earning increased engagement, like TikToker^[9] abby.room who earned roughly 5.7 million plays in six months for a video she posted on January 4th, 2022. Additionally, the discourse spread to Twitter^[10] where many K-Pop stans discussed which men had either "Doe Eyes" or "Siren Eyes."

Dark Feminine / Siren Gaze

Starting most notably in April 2022, the concept of the "Siren Gaze" started to be referenced in TikTok content. For instance, on April 10th, 2022, TikToker^[12] castiddy stated that she was practicing her "siren gaze" for Hot Girl Summer in a video that received roughly 12,700 plays and over 200 likes in three months (shown below, left). More notably in April 2022, a TikTok account with the handle @secretsofasiren started posting content related to "Dark Feminine" and the secrets of the "Siren Gaze." The account's first TikTok^[13] was posted on April 15th, 2022, and received roughly 15,300 plays and 1,500 likes in three months (shown below, right).

Secretsofasiren continued to spread the trend further, posting sigma male-esque content but for women striving to attract men with "Siren Tips." For instance, on June 23rd, 2022, secretsofasiren posted a TikTok^[14] that used a video of Maddy Perez from Euphoria in the background, earning roughly 5.1 million plays and 795,600 likes in two weeks (shown below).

Discourse and awareness surrounding both "Dark Femininity" and the "Siren Gaze" spread to Twitter in June 2022 as secretsofasiren's account continued to grow. For instance, on June 29th, 2022, Twitter^[15] user cuteness333 tweeted multiple TikTok screenshots, captioning them, "TikTokers are now doing something called darkfemme where they tap into Lilith energy and practice sirenmaxxing." The tweet received roughly 12,400 likes in one week (shown below).

Related Memes

Dissociative Pout

The Dissociative Pout, also known as the "Dissociative Gaze," refers to a selfie pose practiced largely by e-girls on Instagram and Tumblr characterized by pursed lips, sucked-in cheeks, eyes gazing up at the camera and an overall "dead" or crazy look. It has also been characterized as “lobotomy-chic.” It became prominent in the late 2010s into the early 2020s, coinciding with the rise of "Girlboss" memes, Schizoposting and the TV show Euphoria. The term was coined in early 2022 by the magazine i-D.

The Feminine Urge

The Feminine Urge refers to a concept and catchphrase used in memes to ironically describe female tendencies and traits. Although the earliest known usage of the phrase was posted in 2009 on Twitter, the phrase received its most amount of usage in 2021 started from an April 2021 Tumblr post. Going into the rest of 2021, the phrase spread to Twitter and Instagram, morphing into other off-shoot phrases like "the masculine urge" and "the non-binary urge."

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References