What is 'Valerie' on TikTok? Viral term has Internet divided
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: A new term "Valerie" is trending on TikTok and users are using it to refer to specific people in their lives. The term was also used in the 1999 film 'Girl, Interrupted' with Angelina Jolie, Winona Ryder, and other well-known performers, including Whoopi Goldberg, who played the nurse Valerie in the film.
The term is again trending on social media. Everybody on TikTok is not in favor of the idea of a "Valerie" in the first place. TikTok is widely known for new trends and new terms every day. The #Valerie has amassed 297 million views on the video sharing platform TikTok since it went viral.
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What is 'Valerie' on TikTok?
On TikTok, a "Valerie" is someone who defends you in every situation, no matter what. Although this definition appears to be straightforward, many users have interpreted it to refer to various types of individuals in their lives.
@mynamesolivee the doberman to my golden retriever #valerie #tiktok #foryou #gf #lgbtq ♬ original sound - 𝖖𝖚𝖎𝖓𝖓🧿
For some, it's their brother, who will defend them from anyone who annoys them. For others it can be their best buddy who can sense creeps from a mile away. Everyone, whether a sibling, a friend, or you yourself can be your "Valerie."
@sassyliltrucker Forever their “Valerie” #trending #fyp #foryoupage #girlinterrupted #valerie #womenoftiktok #strongwomen #friends #bravegirls #alphafemale ♬ original sound - Tori
Not everyone is hopping onto the 'Valerie' bandwagon
However, many commenters on the trend are objecting to the way the term is being used in the first place, regardless of who your "Valerie" is. The soundbite in question is from 'Girl, Interrupted' where the character played by Angelina Jolie, Lisa, cries out for assistance as staff members pull her away from a tense altercation with other patients inside a mental hospital. She pleads for mercy as she is being carried away to receive electroconvulsive therapy from Valerie, the nurse Whoopi portrays.
One reader commented, "Valerie is just a nurse in a mental hospital. Not a badass bestie." People familiar with the '90s film, which also starred the late Brittany Murphy, had mixed feelings about this new meaning given to the name. This was true across all the content capitalising on the "Valerie" trend. Many other TikTok users enjoyed celebrating the "Valeries" in their life, appreciating the sentiment behind the TikTok trend even though they were not entirely onboard with how the name and movie reference was being used on the platform.