Last week, TikTok released its end of year data detailing what was most popular on the platform in 2023, including the biggest trends. Some of the trends on the list are now classics in the TikTok world — “Dinner with girls,” THE Roman Empire And beige flags all come to mind – but one creative trend stood out among the rest.
TikTok videos created in Wes Anderson’s symmetrical, pastel-colored style have swept the platform in 2023, with the app ranking as the No. 2 trending app in the U.S. and around the world. TikToker Ava Williamswho created the first video that started the trend, called the whole experience “a little surreal.”
“As an artist, I don’t often get the opportunity to tell other great artists that I love how much their work means to me,” she told The Messenger in an e -mail. “So the tribute came from a true place of love and admiration for Wes Anderson.”
Williams, a New York-based photographer, first posted a video of a train ride she took for “Obituary,” taken from music for Anderson’s recent film, The French dispatch, in April. The TikTok quickly gained attention (her original video now has over 14 million views), and other creators on the platform joined in to film their days Anderson-style.
“I’ve been able to do so many things because of the trend that I never would have had the opportunity to do,” Williams added. “I was invited to London, I went to the premiere of Asteroid City with my brother. The luck I had was not lost on me.”
All sorts of TikTokers have gotten in on the trend, including brands, the musicians And creatorsBut Williams told The Messenger that one of the most powerful and impactful videos came from Valeria Shashenok, a Ukrainian writer and TikToker who filmed the destruction of her home amid the war.
“This is the first video I’ve seen making this a trend,” Williams said. “At the time, not many people had created their own yet. It really put into perspective the reach of the video. I thought only people in the United States were seeing it. I had no idea the impact. “
“But, you know, she and I are polar opposites, but we’re connected somehow and that puts everything into perspective for me. That’s kind of what I mean by luck,” she added. “For me, the whole trend was about connecting with others in unlikely ways and making do with what you had, so it became bigger than me at that point.”
Although Anderson himself said While he can’t bring himself to watch an “imitation” of him on TikTok, Williams shared that she’s grateful for all the opportunities her work has brought her.
“I felt so grateful to Wes Anderson and everyone who sent and shared and participated,” she said. “I may have made the first video, but everyone made it what it was. Being the second most popular trend of 2023 is way beyond what I hoped for. I really can’t I can’t exaggerate how happy this all makes me.”
