# Cat Shadow Trend > Cat Shadow Trend is a 2025 photo fad where participants crouch and position their arms above their head to cast a shadow shaped like a sitting cat with pointy ears. The Cat Shadow Trend is a shadow art photo fad where participants crouch on the ground and position their arms and hands above their head to cast a shadow shaped like a sitting cat, complete with pointy ears and whiskers. The trend originated on Douyin in late April 2025 and went globally viral in May 2025 after one particular photograph crossed over to Tumblr and X, where it pulled in over 31 million views[1]. K-pop idols, artists, and models quickly joined in, turning a simple shadow illusion into one of the biggest participatory photo trends of 2025[2]. ## Origin The trend first picked up steam in late April 2025 on Douyin, the Chinese counterpart to TikTok[1]. Users began posting photos and videos under the hashtags #猫影子照片 ("cat shadow photo") and #甜筒冰琪凌 ("ice cream cone")[4]. On May 2, 2025, Douyin user @小雨绵绵 posted a photograph of two girls performing the shadow pose together, which collected over 105,000 likes in nine days[4]. The single image that launched the trend into global territory came one day later. On May 3, 2025, Douyin user @果汁酒 posted a photograph of herself crouching on a road, crossing her elbows beside her head and fanning out her fingers to form a near-perfect cat shadow[1]. The post received over 386,700 likes in nine days and became the defining image of the trend[4]. - **Platform:** Douyin (source trend), X / Tumblr (global viral spread) - **Creator:** @果汁酒 (viral Douyin photo), @bugbug000 (viral X repost) - **Date:** 2025 ## Overview The Cat Shadow Trend is built on a simple optical trick. A person squats or crouches low to the ground, crosses their elbows near their head, and extends their fingers outward so their shadow takes on the silhouette of a cat sitting upright. The crossed elbows form the cat's pointed ears while the outstretched fingers suggest whiskers[1]. When photographed from the right angle with strong directional light, the result is surprisingly convincing. The human body disappears into the abstraction of a feline shape, making the shadow the star of the image[6]. The trend draws on the same basic principle as shadow puppetry, but applied to the full body rather than just hands[2]. Most photos are taken outdoors on pavement or roads where harsh sunlight creates clean, sharp shadows. ## How It Spread The jump from Douyin to Western platforms happened fast. On May 4, 2025, Tumblr user insecure001 reposted @果汁酒's photograph[7]. The Tumblr post picked up over 3,500 reposts and 5,600 likes in nine days[4]. Four days later, on May 8, X user @bugbug000 reposted the same image with the caption "milady." That post exploded, pulling in over 31 million views, 66,000 reposts, and 670,000 likes within five days[4]. Some outlets reported the total reach across reposts at over 75 million views[5]. K-pop fans immediately recognized an opportunity. In the days after @bugbug000's post, fans on X and Weverse flooded their favorite idols with requests to try the pose[4]. Starting May 10, K-pop groups and solo artists answered. Members of LE SSERAFIM, NMIXX, and Enhypen were among the first idol participants[1]. Norwegian-Chinese model Cindy Zhangyin posted an Instagram video of her attempt on May 10 that pulled 5.1 million views in three days[4]. The trend also sparked a redraw wave among artists on X. On May 9, 2025, artist @Akiko_oc posted the earliest notable redraw using their original character, collecting 1,700 reposts and 28,000 likes in four days[2]. On May 12, @tabakko posted a fan art version featuring VTuber Shirakami Fubuki in the pose, which hit 4,700 reposts and 44,000 likes in a single day[2]. Boy band Seventeen put their own spin on it. Members The8 and DK posed as a frog and dog respectively instead of a cat, playing on their personal mascot animals[5]. TXT's Taehyun used bright sunlight to cast his shadow on May 14[5]. Exo's Xiumin joined on May 12 with a simple "meow" caption on Instagram[5]. Singer and actress IU posted her rendition on May 14 through the fan communication app Beriz, two days before her 32nd birthday. She shared behind-the-scenes commentary describing "a tearful process" and joked about getting a cramp in her side from trying to fine-tune the shadow's ears and whiskers[3]. Fans responded with "The shadows are cute, too" and "The trend will end when IU does it" (translated from Korean)[3]. Enhypen's Jungwon had promised fans he would try the challenge and followed through with a video posted to Weverse[5]. ## How to Use The Cat Shadow Trend follows a straightforward process[6]: 1. Find a spot with strong, directional light. Outdoor pavement in direct sunlight works best. 2. Crouch or squat low to the ground, facing the light source so your shadow falls behind you. 3. Raise both arms and cross your elbows near your head. The crossed elbows form the cat's ears. 4. Extend your fingers outward from each hand to create the cat's whiskers. 5. Have someone photograph you from an angle that captures both your crouching body and the cat-shaped shadow on the ground. ## Cultural Impact The Cat Shadow Trend crossed the usual internet-to-mainstream gap faster than most photo fads. Within two weeks of the original Douyin posts, professional models and some of the biggest names in K-pop were participating[5]. The trend's spread from China to South Korea to Western social media traced a now-familiar path for East Asian internet culture, following the same pipeline that earlier trends like the "Finger Heart" gesture traveled[2]. The redraw trend that sprouted alongside the photo challenge gave the meme a second life in fan art communities. Artists across X used the iconic @果汁酒 pose as a template for their own characters, turning a real-world photo fad into a drawing prompt[2]. VTuber fan art versions spread particularly fast in Japanese-language corners of X[2]. South Korean media outlets covered the trend extensively, treating it as both a social media moment and a window into cross-border internet culture between China and Korea[3]. ## Fun Facts - The Douyin hashtag #甜筒冰琪凌 ("ice cream cone") was used alongside the cat shadow tag, likely because the crouching pose with arms up also resembles a soft-serve cone from certain angles[4]. - @bugbug000's X repost captioned "milady" helped the trend take off in English-speaking internet spaces, giving the cat silhouette a slightly different comedic framing than the original Chinese posts[4]. - IU timed her participation to land just before her birthday on May 16, turning the challenge into a fan gift of sorts[3]. - Seventeen's The8 chose a frog shadow because a frog is his official group mascot animal[5]. - The trend's core mechanic is essentially full-body shadow puppetry. Traditional shadow puppets use hands and cut-outs, but this trend uses the entire human form as the puppet[6]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the Cat Shadow Trend? The Cat Shadow Trend is a viral photo fad where people crouch on the ground and position their arms and hands to cast a shadow that looks like a sitting cat. The crossed elbows form the cat's ears while extended fingers create whiskers[1]. ### Where did the Cat Shadow Trend come from? It originated on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, in late April 2025. The specific photograph that went globally viral was posted by Douyin user @果汁酒 on May 3, 2025[4]. ### What does the Cat Shadow Trend mean? There's no deeper symbolic meaning. It's a creative photo challenge that uses light and body positioning to create an optical illusion of a cat silhouette[6]. ### How do you use the Cat Shadow Trend? Crouch in direct sunlight, cross your elbows near your head to form cat ears, extend your fingers for whiskers, and have someone photograph both you and your cat-shaped shadow[1]. ### Is the Cat Shadow Trend still popular? The trend peaked in May 2025 when K-pop idols and models participated. As a photo fad, it saw its most intense activity during that month[5]. ### Who made the Cat Shadow Trend go viral? Douyin user @果汁酒 posted the defining photograph on May 3, 2025. X user @bugbug000 then reposted it on May 8, where it reached over 31 million views and sparked the global spread[4]. ### Which K-pop idols did the Cat Shadow Trend? Members of LE SSERAFIM, NMIXX, Enhypen, Seventeen, TXT, Exo's Xiumin, and IU all participated in May 2025[5]. ### What did IU say about the Cat Shadow Trend? IU described the process as "tearful" and said she got a cramp in her side from trying to perfect the shadow's ears and whiskers[3]. ### Can you make other animal shadows besides cats? Yes. Some participants created rabbit, bat, and fox shadows using modified arm and hand positions[1]. ### What is the Cat Shadow Redraw trend? Artists on X used the viral cat shadow photograph as a template to draw their own characters in the same pose. The most popular redraw featured VTuber Shirakami Fubuki and received over 44,000 likes[2]. ## References 1. [Singer and actress IU boarded the "Cat Shadow Pose Challenge" and showed off her unique cuteness and.. - MK]() 2. [What Is The 'Cat Shadow With Hands' Trend, How To Do It And Meme Meaning Explained As It Goes Viral On TikTok - The SportsGrail]() 3. [Viral 'Cat Shadow Trend' captivates social media in South Korea]() 4. [Cat Shadow Trend - Know Your Meme]() 5. [List of Internet phenomena]() 6. [K-pop idols IU, Enhypen’s Jungwon and Seventeen join in on cat shadow trend – OwhYes !]() 7. [Cat Shadow Trend Explained: The Fun Viral Sensation - Toxigon]() 8. 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