If you've spent time scrolling on TikTok lately, you've probably noticed a new trend: getting coffee with your younger self.
The trend is usually text that says something to the effect of "I met my younger self for coffee, and this is how I've evolved" overlayed on top of a video or photo of a creator.
Take, for instance, this TikTok video from Giuli, or @puffy817, with more than 3.4 million views and 334,000 likes. It's a shot of her typing at a desk in a blazer with text overlayed that reads: "I met my younger self for coffee today. She showed up 15 minutes early; so did I. She ordered an iced caramel latte, I ordered an iced americano with honey. She wore athletic shorts and a big t shirt, I wore a suit. She told me she wants to be a psychologist when she grows up so she can help people. I told her I went to law school & am a Public Defender. She told me her family of 5 still lives in an apartment; I told her I own a home & so do my mom & dad. She told me her dad's business is struggling, I told her my dad owns 3 businesses." The caption below the video reads, "Why did this trend heal a little bit in me while I wrote it."
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The trend was sparked after poet Jennae Cecelia posted a photo of one of her poems from her upcoming book, Deep In My Feels, on Instagram. The poem, titled "I met my younger self for coffee," goes like this:
"i met my younger self for coffee at 10:15.
she was late.
i was early.
i wore my dark brown hair in slick back bun.
her hair was faded red and in her face.
i had dark blue jeans on.
she wore sweatpants with a few stains.
she lets out a sigh and has a good cry.
i tell her to release her feelings one at a time.
the scars on her have now faded on me quite a bit.
i want to tell her it won't always be like this.
but i don't.
she doesn't need to hear
that things will be better.
she just wants a hug and reassurance of her feelings
during this uncertain season ahead of her.
we leave the aroma of coffee beans and baked goods.
i walk her home to our old neighborhood.
we won't meet again for 15 more years.
but each day she thinks of the woman
who acknowledged her tears."
This trend, which has taken over Instagram Reels, TikTok, and other social media platforms, is an encouragement to treat your younger self with empathy. But, as Mia Khalaoife, aka @aoifeofarrell on TikTok, points out, not all of our past selves are worth celebrating. In a TikTok video with 4.6 million views and 1.1 million likes, she shows a fit check with the text "i met my younger self for a coffee today. she was such a bitch." The caption reads: "prob bc she didn't eat x this trend is so cute tho."
Let's be realistic, fellas.
