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TikTokers defend bizarre crushes with the “Hear Me Out” trend

TikTokers defend bizarre crushes with the “Hear Me Out” trend

They’re sweet on these guys.

A new trend on TikTok involving cake has sparked a flood of controversial crush confessions online, with smitten ladies begging their friends and viewers to listen to me as they cover a cake with their unconventional guys’ faces.

The “Hear Me Out” cake trend – also called “Smash Cake” – has racked up more than 3,300 videos on the platform, featuring cakes featuring several atypically attractive characters, including fictional cartoons and real-life figures.

According to Urban Dictionary, the phrase “listen to me” comes from a “completely ridiculous” opinion that often needs to be defended. In this case, TikTokkers justify their crazy crush.

The love interests include the Kool-Aid Man, Tony the Tiger, the man on the Quaker Oats logo, Winnie the Pooh, DJ Pauly D, young Bob Saget, Mr. Clean, Alfredo Linguini from “Ratatouille” and Lightning McQueen from “Cars.”

It’s unclear why Gen Z social media users use cake to reveal their personalities, but the trend is an offshoot of the famous “crush cake” that went viral earlier this year.

“I never skip a cake video,” one fan commented on TikTok, while dozens said they would also make a video of their own.

Another commenter was completely confused by a viral video. “I still don’t understand… can someone help me?”

The hilarious trend involves printing out images of the pop culture characters and attaching them to wooden sticks, which are then inserted into the top of a cake or some type of dessert while participants defend their bizarre crushes.

A trio of buddies decorated their cake with the likes of Bill Nye and characters from their favorite childhood cartoons. Despite her more controversial choices — like Dwight Schrute from “The Office” or Mr. Potato Head — viewers on TikTok rallied behind her.

“Dwight Schrute makes me feel seen,” one person commented.

“OMGG YESSS HANDY MANDY IS A CATCH,” another advocated.

“Now I want you to explain why I should listen to you,” quipped one critic.

The trend has also spread to other platforms like X, where users post pictures of their finished “smash cakes” or share who would top their cake if they participated. For example, one person posted a photo of the character Beetlejuice, played by Michael Keaton, and wrote, “I’m sorry to inform you that this is my latest ‘listen to me.’

The humorous trend is a twist on the famous “crush cake” that went viral earlier this year and also involved wooden sticks with famous guys’ faces on them, which then became cake decorations.

The difference, however, was that the “crush cakes” typically featured traditionally attractive celebrities such as Pedro Pascal, Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, Barry Keoghan and Ryan Gosling.