From straightening uneven teeth to making your boobs grow, subliminal message videos are promising to solve your body image concerns via playlists
How to change your physical appearance, according to TikTok: begin by making a list of what you’d like to change, may that be a sharper jawline or straighter teeth. Then, seek out videos on YouTube and TikTok that will beam subliminal messages about those desires into your subconscious. Next, make a playlist of these videos to listen to in your sleep. Finally, go about your life as though these changes have taken place. In time, the outward changes you wished to manifest will come good, spurred on by the subliminal communication being absorbed by your subconscious.
This method is known as subliminal physical manipulation and it’s become a growing movement on social platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Videos about the power of subliminal messaging (known as ‘subliminals’ by insiders) get hundreds of thousands of likes and are filled with comments from viewers asking how to execute it best or what exactly they’ll be able to change about their appearance. “Can I shorten my mid-face by listening to subliminal[s]?” writes one user. “Can they change my whole appearance? like mostly my eye shape,” asks another.
Subliminal messaging can cover anything from financial success to finding your soulmate, but increasingly the topic being focused on is physical appearance. Creators like @sarora_subliminals share videos centred on changing certain attributes using the power of manifestation and subliminal messaging. One video, with over 1.4 million views, promises to help change your appearance without surgery using subliminal playlists for issues ranging from clear skin and weight loss to becoming “irresistible” and getting a face “like a model”. Comments on the video claim it has helped them grow larger breasts (“from B cups to D cups”) and even cure sickness.
On YouTube, the same reality exists. Subliminal creators produce videos designed to influence things like the plumpness or softness of your lips. This ‘bigger plump lips’ subliminal video by Cee has over 2.8 million views and a slew of followers proselytising in the comment section. One person says that they saw dramatic results within a day. To the uninitiated, this sect of social media could seem like a wayward offshoot of manifestation and affirmation culture. And while practices like meditation could actually help when it comes to things like skin health by lowering stress and cortisol levels, is it possible that subliminals could really change the shape and size of our bodies?
WHAT ARE SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES?
Subliminal messaging refers to communication that falls below the perception of human consciousness. Subliminal, meaning “below the threshold of sensation or consciousness”, can cover both visual and auditory messages. In some of its most famous iterations, subliminal messaging has been used by marketing and advertising agencies to influence the way we think about certain brands or products.
DO SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES WORK?
Subliminal messaging is a widely contested practice, for many reasons. While some studies have shown that auditory subliminal messaging can change behaviour (and dreams), others have proven that behaviour cannot be altered without repeat exposure to subliminal messaging.
One truth is clear, though: subliminal messaging cannot change the shape, size or location of physical attributes. The shape of your mouth, without external intervention, is immutable. Yes, it may change as you age but the ability to control it via your subconscious is, ultimately, futile. There is a clear distinction between things that are fixed and those that are changeable, says Jessica Boston, a hypnotherapist and founder of the Homecoming Programme.
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“The work I do with the subconscious mind is deeply powerful and, often, there are results that are unexplainable, bordering on magical. However, you can’t alter fixed attributes through subconscious work,” she explains. “As practitioners, we are communicating to parts of the self that are open to adaptation and people are often surprised by how much of us is adaptable and flexible… but this does not apply to body parts that are not able to change through listening and learning, like the size of one’s lips or the colour of one’s eyes.”
When it comes to trying to change these fixed attributes, Boston says, there are a few reasons that people might be seeing “results” from listening to subliminals. “Predominantly, it’s down to directional focus and making decisions in line with that focus. Being subconsciously clear on your intentions and goals means you make choices in line with your desired future that you aren’t always in full awareness of in everyday life.”
Boston’s point makes sense: subliminal messages cannot change your physical appearance but focusing intently on something can make it more likely that you’ll make decisions in the best interests of said goal. If acne-clearing subliminals are something you listen to regularly, there’s a higher chance you’ll make other decisions to work towards this goal, too, like staying committed to your skincare routine.
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WHY ARE PEOPLE USING SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES?
For people seeking change, the allure of a free technique, for which they already possess the required materials, is obvious. Whether that technique stands up to scientific scrutiny is secondary. The attraction of fixing something that affects the way you feel, like your teeth or skin, without spending any money or exerting any effort, is understandably enticing.
In the UK, the average price of metal braces for people over the age of 18 starts at £1500 and can reach up to £3900. For clear braces or Invisalign the price doubles, at the very least. The same is true for an appointment with a private, non-NHS dermatologist. Single appointments can cost over £100 and stretch up to £500. Add onto that number the cost of filler, for example, to achieve those big lips. For the average person, these prices are untenable, especially with the uncertain financial future many face.
Over in the US, a country without universal healthcare, seeing a dermatologist without insurance can cost between $150 and $200 for an initial visit. And many healthcare plans don’t include dental which has contributed to the rise in DIY “hacks” on TikTok like shaving down your own teeth with a nail file and whitening them with household bleach. The pressures around beauty standards are increasingly high and unrealistic, leading people to go into debt to try to keep up, so it’s understandable that we would search for a free option.
Whatever is contributing to the rise, ultimately these subliminals are nothing more than “magical thinking”, says Dr Elena Touroni, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic. “Believing in these messages might reflect a deeper desire for change and stem from issues with low self-esteem. If someone is listening to these types of TikTok videos to try to change their appearance, it could be a form of ‘magical thinking’, where there’s hope for an easy solution to a deeper, more complex problem,” she says.
“My advice would be to be cautious about these kinds of videos and remind yourself that meaningful physical or psychological change often requires a lot of work.”