August 2026 Trends

An overview of July's top trends across social media and creators, along with some upcoming key moments to pay attention to.

Kinda Chic

It's "quietly confident about the small stuff" energy, dressed up as an aesthetic. Doesn't matter how mundane the thing is, calling it chic instantly makes it feel like a lifestyle choice instead of just a habit.

Started small on Instagram back in April, then exploded on TikTok by late July. Drew Barrymore did it, Reese Witherspoon did it too. Once it crosses over to that crowd, you know the format's basically everywhere and everyone's remixing it their own way. See example here.

Beverage Example GRWM cuts to someone just grabbing a Malibu instead of explaining why they deserve one. No big speech, no justification, just "kinda chic to not overthink it" energy and moving on with the night.

Bottle Breaking

Bottles and cans getting smashed, crushed, or rolled down stairs, filmed purely for the crunch and the shatter. Zero narrative, zero talking, just the sound and the visual doing all the work.

One creator's clips alone have pulled over 8 million likes on a single video, and the tag as a whole sits in the millions of posts. People are genuinely soothed by this, it scratches the same itch as ASMR whispering or slime videos, just louder and messier. See example here.

Food & Beverage Example Empty Malibu bottles get the smash as the last move of the night, the celebratory "we're done here" moment. Easily the most satisfying five seconds of the whole party, and it doesn't need a single word of copy to land.