Decoding Gen Z’s delulu TikTok trend: Manifestation or slang gone too far?
Delulu could be the new fake it till you make it
The new term that has flooded TikTok and probably infiltrated conversations is delulu, which is short for delusional. Being delusional is the only solution or as the phrase is, Delulu is the only solulu. No, I am not rambling; it’s an actual thing. It’s the current generation’s hack for winning at life. How did we get here?
It’s still debated when the term itself originated, but it became viral after 22-year-old British TikToker Sabrina Bahsoon danced unabashedly on the London Subway. This unapologetic and unusual behaviour seemed to have inspired other people in different countries and cities, like New York, Perth, and Romania to do the same. As she captioned her video, “At the end of the day, I’m a delulu girlie.” She later told the American news outlet, Today.com, that her goal was to “inspire” followers to stop caring what people think.
Clearly delulu is not as simple as it sounds; there are many intricate interpretations of this newfound TikTok hack, perplexing many psychologists and millennials along the way.
Many of the millennials are particularly confused. “Doesn’t delusional mean to be unrealistic and having excessively idealistic fantasies that probably won’t come true,” asks 42-year-old Dubai-based Samita Menon a freelancer. Dubai-based Shaila Anand, a life coach and wellness expert tries to correct her and says, “It could just mean unabashedly seeing what you want in life, though it's far out of your reach?"
Menon wonders, “So, essentially, you just are tricking yourself into believing that your dream will come true."
The debate ensues. However, others have rather different ideas of what delulu means. Is it the new manifestation technique with a Gen Z spin on it?
The ability to live fearlessly
The word was first attributed to “obsessive” fans of K-Pop, according to Lene Pieters, a Dubai-based artist and Reiki practitioner. The fans in 2013 referred to themselves as “delulu”, by pretending that they would get married to their K-Pop idols one day, or even befriend them.
By 2023, most of the delulu hashtags on TikTok were unrelated to K-Pop: It is now understood to be a way of “living fearlessly”, as Pieters explains. “It means the utter fearlessness about challenging your own existence, and self-belief. It means that you would rather risk public censure than keep it bottled in any longer,” she explains.
It means the utter fearlessness about challenging your own existence, and self-belief. It means that you would rather risk public censure than keep it bottled in any longer,
Dubai-based Amanda Ashworth, a life coach and wellness expert agrees with this idea of fearlessness. “I praise anyone who doesn’t subscribe to playing small and wants to create a life beyond what others around them deem possible,” she says. “Fear hinders people from pursuing their dreams. So, if you are truly fearless and believe in unlimited possibilities, you are halfway there,” she says.
I praise anyone who doesn’t subscribe to playing small and wants to create a life beyond what others around them deem possible. Fear hinders people from pursuing their dreams. So, if you are truly fearless and believe in unlimited possibilities, you are halfway there...
However, just like the concept of manifestation, which means willing desires into reality, you need to take actions to turn your desires into reality, she says. Embracing this kind of fearlessness gives you the permission to go after what you want; things that you never thought would work out.
It’s a leap of faith into the unknown, as Diana Gustafson, a UAE-based American teenage psychologist explains. “I feel that Gen Z has witnessed so many traumatic global events in the past few years, including the Covid-19 pandemic, political turmoil and so many other shifts, that they look for something that will compel them to take a leap of faith. I perceive this trend of delulu as something audacious. It makes you believe that possibilities are limitless. And if this bolsters belief in themselves to achieve their dreams, then why should anyone have a problem? It also sounds more fun to say,” she adds.
“It means your confidence knows no boundaries. And once you embrace that idea, you feel that you can do anything.” So, the delulu trend sees Gen Z visualising themselves in a better reality, where they have better relationships, and possess stellar jobs. “Once you imagine your life in such terms, it can help you feel balanced,” she adds.
The ‘simpler’ form of manifestation: More fun and flavour
While Peters believes that manifestation is a completely different mindset and technique, some TikTokers believe that ‘delulu’ is the simpler form of manifestation.
Bianca Bello, a 27-year-old TikToker from New York explained what the term meant in a video. “Delulu just has a little more fun, a little more flavour. It’s a little more silly than delusional. Delusional is rooted in the idea of losing your mind. Delulu just indicates silly goofiness.”
Later, she explained to the UK-based news site The Guardian. "It’s the idea of manifestation but simplified in terms that the everyday [person] would understand. It means to live unexpectedly and with the intent to create a world where you are that character narrating your own story,” she said. Another TikToker by the name of Crystal Marie explained in a video, that the idea is to believe that everything is about you. “Be delusional. It is your world. It is your movie.”
Twenty-two-year-old Dubai-based Divya Hoon, an Instagram influencer, also agrees that it is a new manifestation strategy. “Manifestation works whenever you believe in it," she tells Gulf News. So, the same thing here — delulu or delusional is about believing obsessively in your dreams, and making sure that they come true.
It’s also like fooling yourself into believing that you are more qualified for something than you are. According to TikTokers, this little touch of self-deception charted their career path. A user by the name of Milajaye says that it has been the “key” to her success. “I live in my own reality,” she explains in her video. This mindset has cemented her success. Another user by the name of Samantha echoed similar sentiments, saying when she realized that being a little bit “delulu” could be the key to success, she went back to believing strongly in things. She says it helps her behave as if her wishful thinking were reality.
‘It’s like putting on a mask of confidence, till you feel confident’
Is it the new fake it until you make it? Does it really work?
Nafisa Mohamed Ali, a UAE-based educator and art therapist agrees that indeed, this delulu is the new fake it until you make it. It might be their secret to success, as she asserts. “It means adopting a confident and competent demeanour can do wonders for self-esteem, enhance performance and productivity. It opens doors for opportunities of growth and success. It’s like putting on a mask of confidence, until you become confident,” she says. “It’s like wearing a cape of competence, until you become competent.”
It means adopting a confident and competent demeanour can do wonders for self-esteem, enhance performance and productivity. It opens doors for opportunities of growth and success. It’s like wearing a cape of competence, until you become competent...
However, she points out the downside of this belief. You need to make it work, remember. Else, it gets dangerous. “If you’re pretending to be someone you’re not or faking it without putting in any effort or acquiring any skills, it can lead to serious consequences,” she says. You’re living an inauthentic life and trying to trick yourself into believing that you can achieve your dreams without any hard work. In the end, you feel the void. “Success requires hard work, dedication and genuine growth,” says Ali.
Just a form of escaping reality?
Twenty-three-year-old May Hunter, a Dubai-based British expat wonders whether the term needs to be dissected so seriously. “I thought it was just slang,” she says, rather confused. “I interpreted it as just evading reality. I mean, that’s how my friends and I use it playfully, not accepting reality for the moment. It does have its roots in delusion, but it’s something that doesn’t need to be taken so seriously,” she says. Her friend Tania Desmond, an American expat, agrees, and says that she thought it was just fun slang. “I never perceived it as a form of manifestation, rather than just fun usage and a shortage of a normal term. Why do people take everything so seriously?”