TikTok’s most recent trend is a new take on the classic makeup transformation video.
Creators are posting before and after makeover videos where they turn themselves into their idea of a city or region’s ideal of beauty. The hope is to achieve a look that scores a “10 out of 10” on a scale of attractiveness.
Some videos, which users post to the song “Candy” by Foxy Brown, have upwards of a million views, but commentators have mixed reactions to what the moment is trying to say.
Why are people turning themselves into a (insert city here) 10?
The “turning myself into a 10” trend references how beauty ideals vary by geographic region.
Back in 2015, Vogue published an article defining “New York City vs. Los Angeles Beauty Rules.” The conversation continued on social media. According to users on Reddit, a “New York 10” might be “more high fashioned” while a “LA 10” might be “more beachy.”
“Thinking about that element of how beauty is attached to a particular place is not new,” Katherine Phelps, a gender and women’s studies professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, tells TODAY.com.
Now, users of a primarily female demographic post style and makeup transformations online where they turn themselves into a place’s version of a “10.”
“It’s so gendered. When we are talking about someone being a ’10,’ we’re speaking from a place of that woman is deemed attractive by a man,” Phelps adds.
This moment for the trend is different because it covers a wider range of locations than the classic “New York vs. LA” debate. Users have created videos inspired by their experiences in places like Atlanta, Texas, France and Kansas — and yes, New York and Los Angeles.
Some are spoofs on the idea of conventional beauty — one version of a Colorado 10, for example, is in athletic clothes and no makeup. Another idea of a New York 10 is having an apartment with amenities like a washing machine and garbage disposal. Others are saying they’re a worldwide 10 — then dressing up as Mr. Worldwide, Pitbull.
One user who participated in the trend is @maycietilley, who posted a video of herself turning into a “Utah 7,” as other users have done.
“The beauty standard in Utah and its culture is very high, especially compared to other states,” Tilley tells TODAY.com. “I see people on FYP page all the time talking about how they can instantly tell when someone is from Utah or its culture because of how they look or dress.”
What does the trend say about beauty?
Commentators have mixed opinions on what the viral moment says about beauty.
Brand strategist Mara Dettman shared her perspective on the trend on her Substack, “In Interesting Times.” She wrote the idea of ranking someone based on attractiveness is “inherently problematic.” However, she also wrote that this trend takes ranking beauty and “plays with it, critiques it, and perpetuates it, all at once.”
Dettmann tells TODAY.com this trend says anyone can be a “10,” as modern standards of beauty are defined by styling or charm and not physical traits.
“It brings up really interesting questions about, when it comes to beauty: What’s innate? What’s performative?” Dettmann says.
Phelps also notes that the trend is nuanced.
“It’s always sort of a dangerous thing when we’re ranking humans, and when we are creating hierarchies around bodies,” Phelps said.
She also touches on the agency and performance involved in this trend — people are bringing a cheeky self-awareness to beauty standards.
“It’s less about how people embody a particular beauty standard and more so how they construct it, how they make it happen,” Phelps adds.
Dettmann says the regional aspect of the trend marks a shift away from one singular standard of beauty, best represented by Instagram face, the theory that all influencers and celebrities are starting to look the same due to similar cosmetic treatments.
“Even in the age of people being chronically online, regional culture and differences still matter,” Dettmann says. “In a sea of sameness, we’re getting more similar in some ways but also retaining unique differences.”
Additionally, some users who make fun of the trend reject the ranking mindset, Dettmann adds, by asking “why do you even want to be a 10?”
TikToker Sam Puckett, for example, posted a video of herself transforming into her idea of a “Texas 10 “— the beaver mascot for the beloved Southern chain Buc-ees.
“You can make anything or anyone a 10 if you fully commit and have the confidence,” Puckett tells TODAY.com. “My 10 for the trend is the Buc-ees Beaver and let me tell you he is getting hyped up in the comments.”
Phelps adds that humorous approaches make a statement on the idea of ranking beauty.
“What I’ve found great about this as well is the way people are immediately putting humor into it and are responding in ways that are funny, resistant,” Phelps says. “They’re contradicting the trend at the same time that they’re doing it.”
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