Wabi-Sabi Is a TikTok Trend That's All About Embracing What Makes You Different

Every once in a while, TikTok rolls out a trend that's actually kind of adorable. That's the case for the "wabi-sabi" trend and what it means when other users either say it in their videos or type it on the screen to explain the content of their post. But for those who are a little out of the loop, what does wabi-sabi mean on TikTok?

You might have also heard wabi-sabi referenced in a dated episode of the adult animated series King of the Hill. Some TikToks even have audio from the episode in the background of their video. Other users take the phrase and make their content using it in a sentence rather than using the sound itself. But in either situation, it has the same meaning.

According to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, wabi-sabi is a Japanese art concept of finding beauty in imperfections. So if someone on TikTok says that a physical trait they once felt self-conscious about has wabi sabi, it's a way for them to explain that they have accepted that potential imperfection as something that makes them who they are.

Wabi-sabi is a Zen way of living, even if you can't apply it to everything about your life, personality, or appearance. But it's also a way to let go of what might annoy or worry you about the way something looks, whether it's part of you or even your home. On TikTok, users have made videos centered around wabi-sabi to say that they accept imperfections and aren't worried about them.

In one video, a TikTok user shares a part of her body, her lower stomach, and has audio playing about how she likes that her body looks different from what the idea of perfection may be. In the caption, she wrote, "A body that stretched, softened and created the love of my life" and added a hashtag for wabi-sabi.

But you can also use the wabi-sabi trend to be funny. Two sisters made a TikTok where they share what they think are each other's wabi-sabis, and it's a roundabout way to passive-aggressively insult each other. In this case, it's a little less wholesome, but it's also clear that it's meant to be a joke.

You don't have to use the wabi-sabi King of the Hill sound, and the idea of wabi-sabi did not originate on the show. But the dialogue between Hank and Bobby Hill makes sense for those who use the sound on top of a video showing what might be a physical imperfection on them or their babies and pets, even.

In the audio, Bobby says, "Wabi-sabi is an eastern tradition, Dad. It's celebrating the beauty in what's flawed, like the crack in the Liberty Bell or the mole on Cindy Crawford's face." He adds, "Sometimes, it's the small imperfections that make you love something even more."