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Who is TikTok’s ‘Vogue Tube Girl’?

This TikToker is making self-confidence almost tangible for her viewers.

Image of London tube taken with a fish-eye lens.
Credit: Shutterstock/dade72

Known as both ‘Vogue Tube Girl’ or simply ‘Tube Girl’, TikToker Sabrina Bahsoon is taking the social media world by storm, one public transport ride at a time.

With 14.3 million likes and counting, it’s no question that the TikToker has gone viral with her iconic videos. But what exactly does she do?

Sabrina is best known for stepping onto the London Underground and, with the help of the air flowing into the tube from pushing through the tunnels, dancing in the breeze to popular TikTok sounds.

@sabrinabahsoon

Personally i think I’m slaying and trusssttt nobody cares #tubegirl shoutout to all the people who say hi while i made the videos – you make my day 🥰 #tubegirleffect

♬ sexy ass cars – frʌns

The ‘Vogue’ part of the nickname is down to the common practice of blowing air at a model as they pose and strut. With Sabrina’s gorgeous long hair and iconic Y2K fashion sense, it’s easy to see how well the nickname fits.

British Vogue‘s TikTok page even makes a direct reference to the trend. The magazine shows its models posing in front of a wind stream, captioning the video: ‘Pretending you’re the main character when the tube speeds past you’. The comment on the video reads ‘#LaQuanSmith‘s SS24 show was giving main character, #TubeGirl energy’.

Image of a model posing in the wind.
Model posing in the wind. Credit: Shutterstock/Ekateryna Zubal

Promoting Self-Confidence

Many viewers have taken to the comments to acknowledge Sabrina’s courage to film these videos without concern for the opinions or gawking eyes of other passengers on the train:

Image of comments left by viewers of TikToker Sabrina Bahsoon reading:
@msbianca18
‘She’s in her own world, I aspire to be like that’
@konrad.kr
‘There’s nothing wrong with being yourself. I’m happy you don[’t] cage yourself because of some people’s harsh remarks’
@kev_hr
‘Girl, we are supermodels and the world is our runway, keep slaying’
Social media comments under Sabrina Bahsoon’s video. Credit: TikTok/Sabrina Bahsoon

Bahsoon has taken viewers in with her infectious ability to be her authentic self unapologetically. People are now calling her impact on others’ self-confidence ‘the tube girl effect’.

The ‘Tube Girl’ Effect

Sabrina Bahsoon can, perhaps most notably, be acknowledged for showing women in particular that they’re not just welcomed to take up space – they’re encouraged. In making a public, otherwise simple, space a transformative one, Bahsoon shows her viewers that confidence shouldn’t just come from the environment, but from within. This new-found confidence and inspiration she gifts to people is otherwise known as the ‘tube girl effect’.

An image of a London tube station.
The London Underground. Credit: Shutterstock/Pegasus Pics

Unlike an influencer who might take up a private, often luxurious space to film their TikToks, Bahsoon is able to bridge the gap between influencer and viewer. How does she do this? By inhabiting and reimagining the possibilities for a space commonly used by the general public, people can recreate and relive the steps to becoming happier, more confident versions of themselves.

Like a skilled interior decorator, Sabrina revamps the spaces we are all used to, making them into ones that make everyday life fun and fabulously freeing. Many social media users and influencers like Issey Moloney and Tabitha Swatosh have made their own renditions of the trend.

Sabrina spoke to BBC News to share her thoughts on the subject:

‘We’re always told like, you know, it’s kind of cringe if you’re too out there but then when you have confidence it’s too vain. It’s so amazing how girls are taking this on and being like – I can be this confident; you know what, I don’t want to care anymore about all the outside noise – and that is the most important message about all of this.’

Sabrina Bahsoon, BBC News

In essence, Sabrina Bahsoon is making self-love cool. She’s helping people all over the world to find a comfortable home in the public world. How can any of us not be behind that?

Be a Rebel

Particularly in a world that thrives on validation, it can be really easy to pay way too much attention to the opinions of others. Positive viral messages like Sabrina’s remind us that the most important opinion of us is our own. It’s not cringy to be confident, and it’s not weird to like yourself. In fact, writer Caroline Caldwell very aptly says the following:

‘In a society that profits from your self doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act.’

Caroline Caldwell

What better way to rebel than that?

So, it turns out, some online trends can actually make a positive impact on the world around us. Who would have thought it?

Sabrina uses her platform well to show how social media can be used to make a positive difference. Maybe, one TikTok at a time, the globe can slowly but surely become one big web of self-love.

Second-year English Literature and Creative Writing student at Cardiff University with a love for writing, art, bees and an unhealthy obsession with Pride and Prejudice.

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