Young women are showing off on public transport in a new trend not for the faint-hearted.
Most women on public transport try to make it through the journey without having to deal with a random stranger invading their space.
You keep your head down, try not to draw attention, and hope someone doesn’t try to talk to you when you have headphones on.
Well, not anymore: Gen Z women have arrived, and they aren’t going quietly.
The trend has been dubbed ‘tube girl’, and it’s a gutsy phenomenon that now has TikTok and young women in a chokehold.
It is a simple formula: Young women hop onto public transport and then film themselves lip-synching and dancing to a viral song while recording themselves.
Usually, they film themselves from a high angle and occasionally zoom in on a rogue body part. It’s basically like creating a mini music video of yourself - all while you are on public transport in front of a bunch of strangers.
The trend was started by Londoner Sabrina Bahsoon, who decided to mix up her daily commutes by having some fun.
In a video that has been viewed over 9 million times, she explains that she lives on the other side of the city from her friends, so she uses her commute time to “hype” herself up.
Naturally, there are plenty of people who can’t imagine doing something so rogue on public transport.
“I’m too anxious even to scratch an itch on public transport,” someone commented.
“Imagine standing up and doing this … and then silently sitting back down,” another pointed out.
“Doing this in public is wild, but I am trying to get on your level,” another complimented.
Plenty of people are big fans of seeing young women be so confident to take up space on public transport.
“Iconic behaviour,” one praised.
“You ate this,” another wrote.
“Society anxiety is scared of you, girl,” someone joked.
Despite how bold the trend might seem, it has gained a substantial following online, with the #tubegirl gaining over 300 million views on TikTok.
Bahsoon has now become infamous for her tube videos and is constantly uploading TikToks of herself on public transport dancing away.
Even Australia’s fitness influencer Laura Henshaw has given it a crack on TikTok on a recent trip to London.
She filmed herself on the tube ‘channeling’ Bahsoon’s signature confident style, and her followers were delighted.
“Your smile is contagious,” someone wrote.
“Iconic,” another praised.
There are also droves of young women copying the tube girl energy and filming themselves partying away on public transport with confused onlookers trying to work out what they are doing.
Plenty of them explain they use it to “hype” themselves up and build confidence. If you film a silly video as strangers look on, what can’t you do?
It is a shameless and fun trend and could be coming to a train, bus, or tram near you.