From lucky girl syndrome to TikTok tarot readings and delusional on-screen girls, how did delulu become the best solulu?
On January 16 this year, a video appeared on my TikTok For You Page that stated “babygirl, things are about to get really good for you right now. I mean, things always work out for you but if you only knew how the universe was working behind the scenes right now, it’s honestly the divine timing of it all. It’s going to blow your mind when everything starts materialising, what’s coming in is so huge. Everything is becoming really magical.” I bookmarked it and 11 months later when I returned to the video it had 3.2 million views, 659 thousand likes and 15 thousand saves. Under the almost ten thousand comments, people wrote different variations of “I claim ✨” and “I am so lucky, everything works out for me”. With hindsight, has 2023 felt as magical as the video suggested it would be? Not quite. Yet, have I, and thousands others, saved videos that essentially say exactly the same thing every month of this year? Yes.
At the start of the year, lucky girl syndrome infiltrated all social media channels. Deemed the newest quick cheat to success, the trend suggested that living your life as if you are a lucky person would allow you to become your ‘ideal self’. On TikTok, sounds such as ‘Lucky Girl’ by Carlina became the trend’s anthem with the lyrics “I’m a lucky girl / all good things come to me, flow to me”. While on YouTube, self-development creators such as Tam Kaur made lengthy viral videos on how to be a lucky person and attract your ‘dream life’.
By the summer, the ultimate lucky girl was not just lucky but also delusional too. In August, TikToker Moses Wong posted a video in which he said, “In this generation, I believe that being delusional is one the key factors to being happy. Remember guys staying delulu is the solulu”. The video went viral, attracting over 24 million views, while the phrase itself has since appeared on t-shirts and become a slogan for a generation.
@moseswck Here’s your solution to be happy in 2024
♬ original sound - Moses Wong
Arguably delusion has already existed in many forms on TikTok. Take for instance when you scroll through your for you page and a tarot reading or chainmail video stating “If you’re seeing this message it’s for you” pops up. Even if it really does feel as though the ‘wheel of fortune’ card flying towards the camera at 2:22 is a sign that ten days from now your life is going to drastically change, it takes a certain amount of delusion to believe the message is for you and the thousands of people in the comments who believe the same thing. Chances are a stranger on your phone has no true way of knowing if your ex is going to reach out to you, but for many the hope these videos provide is enough.
Beyond social media, film and television have seen a rise in a variety of delusional characters on screen over the last few years. Think Jennifer Coolidge’s character in The White Lotus, Connor in Succession and Margot Robbie for the first half of Barbie. Despite being released last year, both Mia Goth’s performance in A24 film Pearl and Sydney Sweeney as Cassie in Euphoria season two have become the figureheads of delusional girls. Over Halloween, hundreds of girls adorned with their blue eyeshadow and pigtails recreated Pearl’s “I’m a fucking star” monologue. Elsewhere, Cassie’s “Yes fuck it, I am in love with Nate Jacobs” breakdown scene has maintained popular status online, representing to many the delusion related to unrequited love.
@marttiwir_ I AM FUCKING STAR 🔫#maxine #pearl #halloween #costume #x #iamstar #tiktok ♬ I WILL NOT ACCEPT A LIFE I DO NOT DESERVE - linn ✦
While the term ‘delulu is the solulu’ became popular this year, the concept of manifesting is nothing new. The very basis of what the new wave of delusional influencers preach is almost identical to the ideas surrounding the law of assumption. Rooted in metaphysics, the law of assumption is the idea that in order to have something they want, someone must assume the reality they have it already in order to bring it into existence. Despite being controversial to some due to the lack of proven evidence, its cultural prominence has prompted individuals to step into a more direct and provocative role in their lives regarding their desires. Recently, during an appearance on The Today Show’s Citi Concert Series, presenter Hoda Kotb asked Reneé Rapp, a singer most recently cast as Regina George in the 2024 Mean Girls remake, about her sudden rise to success. Despite simply responding ”Um delusion” Rapp’s answer went viral on the app, weaving another layer into Gen Z’s belief that delusion works.
If you strip the term back to its origin before teenagers on the internet got a hold of it, the word ‘delusion’ has historically held predominantly negative connotations, particularly within the world of psychiatry. For British psychologist Daniel Freeman, delusions exist in many forms; as a leading research professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford and expert at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London, Freeman’s specialities include research regarding paranoia and clinical delusions. “The word delusion is traditionally used to refer to strongly-held incorrect beliefs that are not ones normally accepted by other people within their culture,” he explains to Dazed. “In mental health, they are often about fearing others are trying to harm you in some way when they are not, paranoia, or that you have special powers when you do not or are a famous person when you are not (grandiosity).
@crunchysbsf I am that friend 😣 #fyp #foryou #foryoupage ♬ let the light in - angelo
With the rise in content and viral phrases relating to delusion, it can be difficult to distinguish which type of delusion someone is talking about and whether it is a cause for concern. “Delusions are pretty common, holding incorrect beliefs is extremely common, and having biases in our reasoning is typical of most people,” said Freeman, discussing the prominence of delusions in our culture. “Holding a delusion does not necessarily mean at all that you aren’t of sound mind.”
To Freeman, the distinction between a harmless and dangerous delusion is found in the aftermath. “The problems generally only come when the person spends too much time thinking about a delusion and it has a negative impact on their life,” he tells us.
There is no doubt that the positive impacts that can come from believing you can be anything. More often than not our lack of belief in ourselves is actually what inhibits us from achieving things we desire. “Having more confidence in yourself than you might initially feel or seeing things in a more positive light may often be very helpful, certainly compared to the difficulties of being overly critical of yourself and fearing the worst,” says Freeman.
@pinkfilms2 She’s just like me fr 😭💀 #reneerapp #leightonmurray #slocg #fyp ♬ original sound - Kate 🎀
Many people shield their true desires behind the guise of ‘delusions’ because it can allow a way to put your wildest dreams into the world without attaching yourself to the uncomfortable feeling that comes with owning them. “Positive imagery, even just pretending you are a confident person in a certain situation, can be very useful in our lives,” explains Freeman. “Beyond those sorts of short-term coping strategies or playfulness, in my view, it is sensible not to stray too far in your beliefs from what is actually the reality and to check things out with people you trust. Flexibility in your thinking, openness to evidence, and talking things through is generally a good thing.”
As the state of the world continues to spiral, finding playful respite in an alternate inner world (with world peace) where you have your dream life, job or relationship is for the most part harmless. In some instances, it can actually help individuals distinguish what a dream reality can actually look like for them. Map out the world you want to create, with the knowledge it is not real but it can be. Let your imagination run free, be delusional within reason and who knows maybe it’ll make 2024 as magical as so-called TikTok ‘healers’ claim it will be.