I Know Its Pink Teen Sexual Harassment

2021catchphrasedeclining

"I Know It's Pink" is a TikTok comment trend where mostly teenage boys reply to videos of girls and women with variations of that phrase, the word "grippy," or the hex color code #FF94A4, all coded sexual guesses framed as compliments. It started in early 2021 and drew wide criticism by January 2023 as normalized teen sexual harassment.

hornyposting memestiktok memescomment culture memesmoral panic memesdouble entendre memes

Overview

"I Know It's Pink," also called "I Bet It's Bubblegum Pink," is a wave of TikTok comments in which mostly teenage boys reply to videos of attractive girls and women with the phrase "I know it's pink," the word "grippy," or the hex color code #FF94A4 1. All three variants are coded guesses about the color of the poster's vagina, dressed up as compliments so they read as harmless to a passing moderator 3.

The comment style sits alongside other TikTok horny-posting trends from 2022 like the Grip Reaper edits and the "Ichigo scream" sound, which also target women creators with sexualized replies 4. What sets this one apart is the euphemism: the color code and the word "grippy" let commenters skirt keyword filters while every other teen on the app knows exactly what is being said 4.

How It Spread

Reply videos from women creators drove most of the meme's early reach. On August 3, 2021, TikToker @izziesmith12 posted a widely shared callout that pulled more than 3 million plays 6. That November, @crazyjamjam_ took the same angle and picked up around 30,000 likes on her own response video 4. In a rare male-directed case, TikToker @elijahxkins turned the hex code back on rapper Jack Harlow in a December 9, 2021 video 4.

By 2022 the comments were a fixture. @gripstergurly's August 20, 2022 reply video hit over 1 million plays 4. The backlash spilled onto Twitter in January 2023. On January 12, user @estrogennie tweeted that "people dont even compliment you normally anymore it's always literal sexual harassment," picking up more than 60,000 likes in a day 5. The next day, @coldhealing quoted screenshots of hex code comments and argued that "prime 4chan" would not have gone as far as the 16-year-old boys posting under their real names 3. TikTok blocked search results for the phrase "I bet it's pink" around the same time 4.

How to Use This Meme

Comments typically show up under a TikTok of a woman and read as a color guess: the phrase "I know it's pink," the word "grippy," or just the hex code #FF94A4 with no other context 4. Reply videos from the original poster calling out the comment became their own micro-format on the app 6.

Frequently Asked Questions

I Know Its Pink Teen Sexual Harassment

2021catchphrasedeclining

"I Know It's Pink" is a TikTok comment trend where mostly teenage boys reply to videos of girls and women with variations of that phrase, the word "grippy," or the hex color code #FF94A4, all coded sexual guesses framed as compliments. It started in early 2021 and drew wide criticism by January 2023 as normalized teen sexual harassment.

hornyposting memes tiktok memes comment culture memes moral panic memes double entendre memes

Overview

"I Know It's Pink," also called "I Bet It's Bubblegum Pink," is a wave of TikTok comments in which mostly teenage boys reply to videos of attractive girls and women with the phrase "I know it's pink," the word "grippy," or the hex color code #FF94A4 1. All three variants are coded guesses about the color of the poster's vagina, dressed up as compliments so they read as harmless to a passing moderator 3.

The comment style sits alongside other TikTok horny-posting trends from 2022 like the Grip Reaper edits and the "Ichigo scream" sound, which also target women creators with sexualized replies 4. What sets this one apart is the euphemism: the color code and the word "grippy" let commenters skirt keyword filters while every other teen on the app knows exactly what is being said 4.

How It Spread

Reply videos from women creators drove most of the meme's early reach. On August 3, 2021, TikToker @izziesmith12 posted a widely shared callout that pulled more than 3 million plays 6. That November, @crazyjamjam_ took the same angle and picked up around 30,000 likes on her own response video 4. In a rare male-directed case, TikToker @elijahxkins turned the hex code back on rapper Jack Harlow in a December 9, 2021 video 4.

By 2022 the comments were a fixture. @gripstergurly's August 20, 2022 reply video hit over 1 million plays 4. The backlash spilled onto Twitter in January 2023. On January 12, user @estrogennie tweeted that "people dont even compliment you normally anymore it's always literal sexual harassment," picking up more than 60,000 likes in a day 5. The next day, @coldhealing quoted screenshots of hex code comments and argued that "prime 4chan" would not have gone as far as the 16-year-old boys posting under their real names 3. TikTok blocked search results for the phrase "I bet it's pink" around the same time 4.

How to Use This Meme

Comments typically show up under a TikTok of a woman and read as a color guess: the phrase "I know it's pink," the word "grippy," or just the hex code #FF94A4 with no other context 4. Reply videos from the original poster calling out the comment became their own micro-format on the app 6.

Frequently Asked Questions