It's 2025 - How Can We Improve Ourselves For The New Year... According To TikTok?
EPISODE 9 OF "ASK THE QUESTIONS"
It’s New Year’s Day, everyone! It’s the time when we all reflect on our lives and maybe, just maybe, become better versions of ourselves. Of course, instead of actual self-improvement, we’ll probably just scroll through TikTok for a few hours and let the algorithm do the heavy lifting. So, in the spirit of ringing in 2025 with a healthy dose of sarcasm, I thought we’d take a look at some of the most enlightening TikToks out there and see if they’ve got any real pearls of wisdom for us. Spoiler alert: they won’t. And, yes I know, this is a different format from what I usually post, but hey—maybe after watching enough of these, we’ll learn how to be more woke or—dare I say it—fix society in time for next year’s resolution.
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Ah, TikTok wisdom at its finest. So, according to this first out of four hot takes we’ll be looking at, men don’t like feminism because our masculinity is somehow built on the oppression of women. Got it. Apparently, every time a guy lifts a weight, there’s a little voice inside his head saying, “Ah yes, I’m suppressing women.” Look, here’s the thing: most men don’t have a problem with feminism when it’s actually about equality. But this particular version of feminism—modern feminism? The one that frames every man as a walking embodiment of the patriarchy, guilty until proven innocent? Completely different from the real feminism that came before. Yeah, that’s the part most guys are pushing back against. We’re not scared of equal rights for women, but we do get a little tired of being told that every single aspect of who we are as men is inherently oppressive. You can’t just say, “Men’s masculinity is rooted in oppression” and call it a day—there’s a lot more to being a man than just being some villain in a feminist fairytale. Maybe it’s time to stop blaming men for everything and actually try having a conversation where everyone doesn’t feel attacked. But hey, that’d be too easy, wouldn’t it? Let’s take a look at this next one:
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Oh, here we go again. Another TikTok pushing the whole “you should respect my identity or you’re a bigot” thing. Look, I’m all for being polite and treating people with kindness, but this? This is a little much. The argument is basically, “You use ‘they’ for one person all the time, so why not use it for me too?” Okay, fair point—grammatically, sure, it can make sense. But here’s the thing: it’s not about the grammar. It’s about how you’re asking me to see you. Apparently, if I don’t immediately look at you and feel your “they/them-ness” down to your core, then I’m some kind of bigot. Let’s be clear: I can respect you as a person without having to completely alter my perception of language and reality. Just because I don’t instantly “see the ‘they’ in your eyes” doesn’t mean I’m denying your humanity. It just means that I might still be processing what it means to live in a world where we can decide our pronouns like we’re customizing a video game character. Maybe, just maybe, it’s not a reflection of how much respect I have for you, but more about the fact that this whole thing is still a little... weird? Yes, we sometimes use “they/them” like in the context of the video for an unseen person, but that is simply just how language works in terms of constructional sides of grammar. It doesn’t make sense when I’m looking at one person, and force myself to use a word that is, simply put, plural and not singular. But hey, this TikTok is out there that'll help me practice, I guess.
Next, we have our second last video:
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Oh, here we go—the ol’ fat liberation argument. According to this TikTok, if you’re not a “fat liberationist,” you’re just perpetuating the system of “fatphobia” that’s apparently ruining everyone’s life. But let’s be honest here: it’s not like society is just out to get people who aren’t a size two. It’s not the “system” that’s the problem; it’s just people actually want to be healthy and they want you to be healthy, too, which I know, is shocking.
Now, I get the sentiment. Wouldn’t it be nice if no one cared about their appearance and we could just exist without worrying about whether we’re skinny enough for society’s standards? Absolutely. But, here’s the kicker: that’s not how life works. It’s not just about size and how you look; it’s about health and personal well-being because, simply, being fat is not healthy—that’s just a fact. So, let’s not pretend that the world is going to magically get better by declaring “fat liberation” as the only solution. We should focus on actually being healthy, whether that being losing weight if you’re overweight or gaining weight if you’re underweight - that’s real body positivity.
Next, we have our final video:
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Oh, boy, here we go. "Heteronormativity" strikes again. According to this TikTok, we’re all just walking around, brainwashing kids into thinking they should be straight, and that’s somehow a huge societal problem. Look, I get it—no one should be forced into a box or made to feel like they don’t belong because of their sexuality or sex. But let’s pump the brakes for a second. Sure, it’s “normal” for people to be straight—just like it’s “normal” to have certain cultural traditions or norms, but that doesn’t mean there’s some massive, sinister agenda forcing everyone to be heterosexual and deeming gay people as being “abnormal.” Sure, some people might hold those beliefs, but that’s a personal belief—not a societal one. Being straight is just the majority experience, not a personal attack on anyone who doesn’t fit that mold.
And then there’s the idea that kids should be encouraged to "question their sexuality and/or gender identity at a young age." Here’s the deal: let’s not pretend like we should be pushing kids to define themselves in terms of sexuality or gender before they’ve even hit their teens. If they heard about this stuff that young, it wasn’t natural—they learned it from someone else and its making you kid confused unnecessarily—I don’t blame parents who just brush it off if that’s the case. You don’t need a 7-year-old deciding whether they’re non-binary or pansexual. They should be worried about more important things, like school, friends, and, I don’t know, maybe being kids? It’s one thing to have open discussions, but it’s another to make kids feel like they have to label themselves as some form of political statement at a young age. Let’s not pretend this is about "acceptance" when it’s really just about pushing an agenda on impressionable minds. There’s nothing wrong with being straight, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with encouraging kids to grow up without turning every stage of their life into a battle over identity politics.
So, what did we learn? What do we have to change about ourselves to be a bettered version of ourselves in 2025? Well, clearly, we’ve been doing everything wrong this whole time. If you’re a man and you’ve criticized modern feminism and just act like a normal man by just being masculine, congratulations—you’re part of the problem. And let’s not forget about those of us who are straight—turns out we’ve been living in an oppressive heteronormative society all this time, and didn’t even know it. Can you believe it? And if you don’t immediately see the “they/them” in someone’s eyes, well, buckle up, because now you’re now a certified bigot. Oh, and apparently, if you’re not a “fat liberationist,” you might as well just go ahead and cancel yourself because, according to TikTok, the world is a nightmare of body-shaming oppression.
Alright, but with all jokes aside, let’s wrap it up with a little reality check.
At the end of the day, these videos—though entertaining in their absurdity—are a perfect snapshot of where we are as a society: stuck in this endless loop of outrage, identity politics, and the pressure to constantly perform moral superiority. Everyone’s out here trying to be the most woke, the most enlightened, the most inclusive, and yet somehow, we’re all more divided than ever.
Here’s the thing: you can’t just throw a bunch of buzzwords at people and expect them to fall in line with your narrative. Real change happens when we have actual conversations—when we listen to each other, and, I don’t know, maybe just let people be who they are without forcing everyone to fit into some cookie-cutter mold of “right” and “wrong.”
So, maybe this New Year’s, we stop pretending like TikTok is our personal life coach and actually do the hard work of thinking for ourselves. Maybe instead of trying to fix the entire world by sharing a few viral videos, we start with fixing our own little corner of it—by treating people with kindness, questioning ideas that don’t make sense, and maybe just turning off the screen every once in a while to enjoy the real world.
So, go set some goals—make 2025 the best it can be and perhaps even top 2024 and go and improve yourself. But, maybe—just maybe—let’s keep it simple: be better, not because you’re told to be, but because you want to be. The rest of this TikTok wisdom? Eh… I think we’ll survive without it.