TikTok’s ‘rare aesthetic’ trend proves your weirdest childhood memories weren’t just yours

Rare aesthetic: romanticizing childhood memories you thought were unique, only to realize they’re universal.

A new TikTok trend has users posting nostalgia-laced memories of mundane but oddly specific childhood moments, ironically tagged as “rare aesthetic.” The clips are often set to the track “Gorof (Elixir) (feat. Sahra Dawho)” by Somali disco legends Dur-Dur Band.

One example: “Rare aesthetic: going to swimming lessons and being jealous of your mum sitting in the cafe,” a TikTok user posted, alongside stock images of a swimming pool and its adjoining cafe. 

If that stirs something in you, you’re not alone. The post has racked up more than two million likes and over 10 million views. “Why is it so specific and why do I also have this memory,” one person asked.

“Does anyone remember how good the taste of crisps was after you’ve been swimming or just me,” a second person wrote. “These cafes were so comforting, the smell of coffee beans and cookies and hint of chlorine,” added another. 

Other memories have gone similarly viral. Nearly 900,000 users engaged with a TikTok post about waking up at dawn to travel to the airport. “There was always this certain smell that I can’t describe in the air on those mornings,” one person commented. “And it’s always so cold,” said another. “And for some reason you always feel nauseous,” added another. Turns out, we all felt this.

Nostalgia is saturating culture right now, from movie reboots and music to viral TikTok trends. More than 60% of Americans report feeling nostalgic right now, per CivicScience data. Research published in Psychology of Popular Media also finds that people consume more nostalgia-inducing media during times of crisis

Rather than a pull to reflect on personal memories, nostalgia has instead become a communal experience. One that people participate in via trends, helping to combat loneliness and be transported to a time when the biggest worry was which movie to pick out at Blockbuster that week. 

Some social media accounts lean on AI-generated scenes to spark those feelings of longing. Others simply resurface innocuous childhood moments and frame them through rose-tinted glasses.

“Rare aesthetic: School mornings during winter,” another post reads. The slideshow shows damp streets lit by streetlights before sunrise, a cold drizzle in the air, and kids trudging to school.

“Low-key miss it,” one person wrote.