Many acronyms that originated online have become common expressions in everyday English.
LOL, BRB, TTYL, and IDK aren’t just used regularly IRL (in real life), in texts, and on social media platforms, but they’ve been added to the authoritative Merriam-Webster and Oxford English dictionaries. (If you don’t know what any of those abbreviations mean by now, you need to get out more or get online.)
Even the more recent NSFW, standing for “not safe for work,” is in those dictionaries as well.
BBL is another Internet acronym that most people don’t have to look up. It’s short for “be back later” when used in texts or social apps and has been used for decades. Its modern definition isn’t in major dictionaries yet; the only entries list “bbl” as an abbreviation for the word “barrel,” a usage common in the oil industry.
In TikTok videos, though, BBL has taken on a very different meaning. Curious? Read on.
What Does BBL Mean on TikTok?
If you don’t pay attention to body transformation stories and TikTok content, you’d probably never guess that the acronym “BBL” is often used as an abbreviation for “Brazilian butt lift.”
What is that?
A Brazilian butt lift is a cosmetic procedure that removes unwanted excess fat from areas of the body like the belly or thighs (where most people feel it’s not desirable) and injects it into the rear end. A BBL is medically known as gluteal fat grafting, buttock augmentation with fat grafting, or SSBA (safe subcutaneous buttock augmentation).
It’s actually a multi-step procedure. The fat removal is done with liposuction; the fat is then purified and injected into specific areas of the buttocks where it will provide the desired size and shape. Patients can’t sit or sleep on their butts for several weeks, and full recovery can take as long as six months. They aren’t supposed to lose or gain weight during that time, either.
It’s not safe for people without a significant amount of excess body fat to use fat from “donors.” Instead, they’re encouraged to gain weight before the procedure. Some patients are also injected with synthetic fillers.
BBLs have become extremely popular over the last decade, with more than half a million people worldwide receiving them annually. The benefits of removing what patients see as “unsightly” fat while reshaping their rear to a desired appearance drive the procedure’s popularity, as does the fact that celebrities like Cardi B., Iggy Azalea, and Kim Kardashian have all had them.
On TikTok, there’s a positive buzz surrounding BBLs because the results of the procedure are immediate and often dramatic (and because many people on the app find a “thicc ass” desirable). Many influencers and self-styled models love to show their “before and after” photos after a BBL, while others ask for details about the procedure and professionals supply them.
Speculation on whether a particular celebrity has had a BBL is also quite common on TikTok.There’s also a growing number of parody TikTok posts discussing the “BBL Effect,” joking that women who’ve had the procedure turn into people impressed with their new look when few observers are.
If you’re on the app and someone says “BBL, I’m going for a BBL,” you’ll now know exactly what they mean.
About the Author
Peter Hasselworth is a contributor at iDigic, sharing valuable insights about Instagram growth and social media marketing strategies.