Picture: Unsplash
Through just a simple point, a dance video becomes a coming out story.
In late 2015, the multi-talented dancer, singer, and dirty-talk enthusiast Jason Derulo dropped “Get Ugly,” the fourth single from his fourth studio album, the aptly titled Everything is 4. The track zoomed up the charts, soundtracking bar mitzvahs and dorm parties across the country. Now, half a decade since its initial release, the song has found a heartwarming second act: helping queer teens come out to their friends and family. “This girl straight, this girl not,” Derulo’s voice intones in the clips as the teens point first to another, then to themselves, transforming what was once a vaguely fetishizing line into a tool of queer manifestation.
omggg her reaction was sooo cute🥺💕always have people in your life who support you!! ##foryou ##fyp ##lgbtq ##couplegoals ##trend ##viral
What makes many of the videos so adorable is that both parties know the song. They bop to the beat, apparently thinking that this is just a usual TikTok dance video. Then comes the key line, and suddenly, through just a simple point, a dance video becomes a coming-out story.
coming out to my sister🏳️🌈. she was so supportive 🥺 @hallielane ##NotSoOrdinary ##sowholesome ##comingout ##fyp ##gay ##foryou ##viral
♬ original sound - amyhaywardofficial
In other videos, the reveal is planned — though what these entries lack in surprise, they make up for with the warmth of clear, unwavering, parental affirmation.
I just came out to my mom and this happened. @littlemamalittle
♬ original sound - amyhaywardofficial
Some parents, on the other hand, don’t seem to get it. That’s okay, hopefully, because for some, making a TikTok coming out video is just the first step of communicating to their loved ones who they are.
Few things on the internet match the beauty of that split second when one sister realizes what the other is truly saying.
here’s me telling my other sister, i literally have the best sisters @giilarocca ##distancedance ##fyp ##foryoupage
♬ original sound - amyhaywardofficial
And in perhaps the most thrilling of the “Get Ugly” TikToks, we see two friends surprise each other by coming out at the same time, in the same way.
@brittanyskyx we both came out and realised we both like each other ##foryou ##foryoupage ##lesbian
♬ original sound - amyhaywardofficial
They even express mutual feelings for each other. If that’s not love in the time of coronavirus, I don’t know what is.
This article originally appeared on them.
