Pop into your fyp on TikTok right now and you may find yourself facing a sea of pale yellow text.
If so, you're probably seeing one of summer 2026’s viral trends, where it’s ‘kinda chic’ to be proud of what you’re doing, even if it doesn't seem glamorous or exciting to others.
Playing the cello? It’s ‘kinda chic’. Not being bothered that your posts don't get as many views as the ones that go stratospheric? That's 'kinda chic' too. The social posts are often an image or short video with a ‘kinda chic’ explanation text on top in that distinctive pale yellow.
But why are they so popular? BBC Bitesize Other Side of the Story spoke to an expert on social media and human minds to find out why it’s clicking with so many people.
How is ‘kinda chic’ linked to our need to be liked?
Dr Niklas Ihssen is a psychologist from Durham University who specialises in social media. He spoke previously to Other Side of the Story about the popular ‘saxophones getting louder’ meme and how it affects our brains. He's taken a look at the popularity of ‘kinda chic’.
Dr Ihssen said: “We believe that social media is most of the time about social reward. It’s of course entertainment, and fun is also important, but I think it’s often about either our need to belong to a group, but also about our need to express ourselves and getting likes, shares and followers - it’s such an important driver of social media, especially among teenagers, because it’s Something which can be quantified, meaning it can be measured or counted.. You can count how many likes you’ve got.”
Why is ‘kinda chic’ so popular?
Dr Ihssen added that, as teenagers, our brain is tuned towards getting social information from the teens around us, so having posts that are liked is important. This is another reason why ‘kinda chic’ has become so popular.
He continued: “This meme allows you to be special while being normal. I’ve noticed a few examples, like, ‘it’s kinda chic to be obsessed with dogs’. These are completely normal things. However, if you put that into the context of the meme, it makes you special.
“You move beyond being average and you might get approval or attention from others. It’s an opportunity to stand out from the crowd while just being normal.”
How are people using the 'kinda chic' meme?
Image caption, These TikTok posts from @cassandrastrings and @belvederemuseum show off the 'chic-ness' of musical instruments and dipping into culture.
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Does everyone like the ‘kinda chic’ meme?
No, not everyone. There are more than 100k Instagram posts with the hashtag #kindachic so it’s certainly proving popular. But it isn’t loved by all.
One social media expert said the distinctive look of the meme could make Instagram feeds seem same-y, as if people had run out of new ideas to post about. Another pointed out it looked like everyone was using the same template to create a post, which stops people being creative and original.
Remember that trends are just that, something fun that people like joining in with. Never feel that you have to be part of one, even if everyone else seems to be talking about it. It’s absolutely fine to get involved, but it’s equally as fine - or even 'kinda chic' - to do your own thing.
This article was published in August 2026
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