TikTok is Good, I Swear. Here Are Some Recommendations
I love TikTok. This has already been established. Whatever algorithm and access to all my various accounts and activities is simultaneously scary and impressive, because the more you use the app, the better it gets. It’s like how Google learns what you’re into, so the suggested search terms are catered to your whole vibe. The more you look through TikTok, the more your For You Page will be solely stuff you want to see and will love. And here’s the thing: It’s not always stuff you would actively seek out. Here are a few themes I’ve noticed TikTok thinks I’m into (and for the most part, they’re right).
DIsabled People
People in larger bodies
Reproductive rights advocates
Social justice educators/activists
Ex-Mormons
Jews
Small business owners
Just general non-heteronormative content
Witches
But maybe you don’t want to put in the work (the work, in this instance, is laying on the couch watching TikTok for hours on end, while it slowly learns to read your mind). Maybe you want to seek out some new content creators that will be right up your alley, or maybe you’re working on diversifying your feeds. Here are some creators who I think are lovely, and hope you do too.
Bea.six18
Some people smile, and they smile with their whole face. Their whole body even. I LOVE seeing this - it makes me feel happy and cozy all over. Bea has one of those smiles, and they smile A LOT. They also provide a lot of support to their community, and answer questions with an open mind and heart (a quality that’s going to show up a lot in this list). I am so excited when a Bea video shows up in my feed, because I love their smile and personality and way of using this platform so much, and this video in particular made my heart grow three sizes:
Al_Raine
It’s hard to find a niche sometimes, but Alissa has done it with Makeup Madness. She pits two products against each other by using one on each side of her face and choosing which one is the best, which then moves on to challenge the next opponent. They’re always affordable brands, and she always does some great makeup looks that almost make me miss the days when i would do a full face of makeup like, every day. Plus, like me, she’s from the midwest, and we all know midwest is best. The first series was concealers, then she moved on to foundations, and who knows what will be next?! Here’s a sample of one of the showdowns, but you should check out all of them, and then maybe go shopping!
@al_raine Makeup Madness NO 3. With RESULTS ##makeup ##CanYouWorkIt ##fyp ##beautytutorial ##covergirl
♬ original sound - Al_Raine
Tori & MJ (thebuttshousehold)
Tori and MJ are a couple, and they are both professional singers, and Tori likes to do a thing she calls “surprise harmony” where she ambushes MJ and starts singing a song, and MJ has to harmonize with her. Recently they’ve been doing a National Parks road trip and have treated us to surprise harmonies from amazing locations, like this:
Your Labor Nurse
Another TikToker with a fantastic smile. Raquel is a - you guessed it - labor nurse. She answers questions and tells stories and if anyone has given birth with Raquel as their labor nurse, do you know how lucky you are?? If you’re interested in real talk about labor, birth, hospitals, or nursing, this account is a must follow. She did recently get weight loss surgery, in case that’s content you want to avoid. She usually puts titles on her video thumbnails so you can use those as a bit of a guide. Mostly it’s answering questions and telling stories from the labor ward. I don’t have experience with labor nurses, but I have a lot of experience with nurses, and I can tell Raquel is a great one (Most are! Nurses have all the knowledge doctors have without the ego and the debt).
@yourlabornurse Reply to @justababynurse I'm usually more gentle with adoption parents because I know even if they've made peace with the decision it's hard
♬ original sound - The One With The Locs
Tally Rye
Tally is an anti-diet personal trainer. She has great videos all about how exercise should be self-care, and something that makes you happy - not a punishment or a way to earn food. Her videos are a great balm if you find yourself caught in a diet culture trap and need to get your brain back on track.
@tallyrye I want you to have a happy relationship with fitness! So you move to feel good instead of punishing yourself. ##fitnesstips ##dietculture ##workout
♬ original sound - chris james
RynnStar
Rynn makes such good videos that I had a hard time choosing one to highlight here. So watch this and if you like it, go watch more. She responds to a lot of comments and has to deal with a lot of shit from people who could just… not? And she is always making great points! Follow her!
I could post so many more. I’m telling you, TikTok isn’t a bunch of 15 year olds doing dances and lipsyncs. You just need to curate a good feed! I may have to make a part two!
