Going viral on TikTok can happen without users even trying. Why the video of a man dancing to Nelly Furtado's Say It Right in front of his bathroom mirror, with no hashtags or following any popular trends accrued over 426 million views is anyone's guess.
Still, plenty of content creators stick to what's popular while trying to maximize their reach by adding hashtags and using trending audios to captivate an audience either directly or in a more passive way. The correct usage of all tools TikTok gives creators can make your video simply pop up on a user's "for you" page (which is why you'll see basically every creator add the #ForYou tag) and well, the sky's the limit.
There's one peculiar hashtag that's caught the eye of millions of users: #FakeBody. We've seen certain users who deal with situations that are perhaps unsuited for all audiences add warning tags, even cosplayers usually add specific hashtags to let the TikTok algorithm know that they might be using props (maybe fake guns or blood) for their content.
What's the #FakeBody hashtag on TikTok for?
The #FakeBody hashtag leads to some risque content. (Picture: TikTok)Following similar reasoning to other hashtags of the like, #FakeBody aims to trick the TikTok algorithm into thinking videos are using artificial bodies in content that might be suited or targeted for more mature audiences.
This will let users avoid getting their content flagged for breaking the platform's community guidelines and potentially removed from TikTok.
The #FakeBody hashtag can be seen more often than not in risque videos uploaded to TikTok, as many creators use the platform to attract interest to outside content on other platforms.
Most of the content utilizing the #FakeBody hashtag on TikTok is undeniably sexual, without being explicit. The community guidelines state that even a slight hint at foul activities can be enough to warrant a video takedown and even an account suspension.
The hashtag is used to trick TikTok takedown bots. (Picture: TikTok)"We do not allow depictions, including digitally created or manipulated content, of nudity or sexual activity. We are mindful that some content may be offensive or culturally inappropriate in certain regions or may not be suitable for users of all ages."
Still, if users are not comfortable with some of the content, they can report it and TikTok will manually revise the video to see if the creators broke any rules depicted within the guidelines.
For more TikTok and viral content, check out our section dedicated to Entertainment news, updates, streamer antics, drama, and more.
Featured image courtesy of TikTok.
New words and phrases pop up on TikTok every day and it’s impossible to keep up with what they all mean.
In 2022, the app has its own vocabulary of Gen-Z words that can be difficult to understand.
The latest phrase that’s flooding TikTok is ‘fake body’ but what does it mean? Read on to find out…
TikTok – Music Colour Trailer
‘Fake body’ meaning
‘Fake body’ is a phrase that TikTok users often write in their video captions.
People use it when they post a video in which they are wearing a revealing top or bikini.
Using this phrase stops the video being taken down by TikTok for violating its ‘minor safety’ or ‘nudity’ rules.
The phrase is often written as a hashtag with a warning emoji, like this #fakebody⚠️.
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why do I keep seeing tiktoks with the caption '⚠️ FAKE BODY ⚠️'
— oliver (@pileapop) January 16, 2022
TikTok’s guidelines on nudity
TikTok has very strict guidelines on nudity and any videos found violating their rules are instantly removed.
In its Community Guidelines, TikTok says: “We do not allow nudity, pornography, or sexually explicit content on our platform.”
The app is also very hot on minor safety and says: “We do not tolerate activities that perpetuate the abuse, harm, endangerment, or exploitation of minors on TikTok.”
“Any content, including animation or digitally created or manipulated media, that depicts abuse, exploitation, or nudity of minors is a violation on our platform and will be removed when detected,” it continues.
When someone is wearing slightly revealing clothes or swimwear, TikTok often mistakes this for nudity, so people use the ‘fake body’ phrase to stop their video from being removed.
@florin ⚠️FAKE BODY⚠️ #fy #fyp #trend
♬ High School – Nicki Minaj
TikTok blocks explicit language too
It’s not just explicit imagery that violates TikTok’s Community Guidelines, language does too.
Using swear words or sexual language will put your video at risk of being removed, so it’s best to avoid them.
People often use code words to avoid cussing on TikTok. For example, instead of saying ‘f***’, they say ‘fork’ and rather than saying ‘s***’, they use the poo emoji.
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“We do not tolerate activities that perpetuate the abuse, harm, endangerment, or exploitation of minors on TikTok," the guidelines read. "Any content, including animation or digitally created or manipulated media, that depicts abuse, exploitation, or nudity of minors is a violation on our platform and will be removed when detected,” it continues.
Even videos where creators are wearing slightly revealing clothes or swimwear can end up being flagged for nudity.