Julia Fox apologized for being unaware of the secret meaning TikTok users have given the word "mascara"

the fact that tiktok obsessives are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that everyone already knows an extremely confusing codeword that didn't exist prior to last week is a good sign of how fucked up that app makes your brain https://t.co/2aCmGSDTUL

— Mr. Amazing chocolate mousse for me (@housesitter_) January 27, 2023

If you don't want to be caught making such a mistake, you better educate yourself:

TikTok, notorious for its scattershot moderation, uses algorithms which censor content containing certain words and phrases. This leads to users keeping one step ahead of the algorithms by resorting to code words, such as “seggs” in place of sex, or “unalive” in place of suicide.

As the algorithm inevitably catches on to the code word, creators will pivot again, and use another word in its place; the evasive tactic is known as “algospeak,” and is changing the way we communicate online, and sometimes, sparking heated misunderstandings.

This constant gaming of the algorithm leads to increasingly abstract phrases being adopted as code words; some creators have been using “mascara” as a euphemism for