Delulu is NOT the Solulu: TikTok Influencers Who Completely Butchered 2025's Hottest Trends

Introduction

If 2025 taught us anything about TikTok, it’s that trends are less like seasons and more like emotional weather systems: sunny optimism by morning, deluge of cringe by night. Enter the delulu trend — the manifestation-meets-self-help hashtag that, depending on who’s using it, can be inspiring or painfully delusional. Pair that with hopecore (the pastel-washed wellness aesthetic), micro-subculture mashups, and a dash of celebrity audio (looking at you, Bad Bunny DTMF), and you have a recipe for virality — and for spectacular influencer face-plants.

This roast compilation isn’t mean for the sake of mean. It’s a cultural autopsy. We’re cataloging the best (worst?) examples of influencers who took 2025’s biggest trend signals — #delulu, hopecore, beige-flag dating, and more — and somehow, spectacularly, turned them into content disasters. The aim is to entertain, but also to educate creators, brands, and trend watchers about why certain executions flop even when the underlying trend is massive. After all, TikTok officially flagged #delulu as a 2025 trend spotlight and, historically, the hashtag has amassed eye-popping engagement (TikTok tallied over 5 billion views for #delulu as of December 2023). So when creators “butcher” a trend, it’s not for lack of audience — it’s usually because they missed the cultural context.

Expect snark, but also hard data and useful takeaways. We’ll dissect where things went wrong (authenticity, timing, audience fit), spotlight the archetypal influencer face-plants, and give actionable rescue tips so the next wave of creators can ride the trend instead of getting trampled by it. If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at a manifestation montage set to a luxury-brand flex, this one’s for you — let’s roast, learn, and move on.

Understanding Delulu, Hopecore, and 2025’s Trend Ecosystem

First: definitions, because “delulu” isn’t just shorthand for “delusional.” Delulu originated as playful shorthand in fandom and social communities for wishful thinking that borders on fantasy. By late 2022 it began resurfacing as a broader cultural meme and by 2025 TikTok had elevated #delulu into a trend spotlight — a signifier of both collective optimism and performative hope. The line between earnest manifesting and gaslit fantasy is thin, and creators who ignored that thinness stepped on it, repeatedly.

Hopecore, on the other hand, is the visual and emotional cousin of delulu. It’s pastel palettes, soft-focus affirmations, and “spiritual glow-up” content. Hopecore sells hope as a lifestyle (playlists, aesthetically pleasing journals, brand collaborations). It’s not inherently bad; it became problematic when creators recycled platitudes without context, turning mental wellness into wallpaper.

Why did these trends blow up? Three ecosystem dynamics:

- Algorithmic amplification: TikTok’s discovery engine loves repeatable formats — short, hypnotic, and remixable. #delulu and hopecore offer replicable templates (manifestation reels, before/after feel-bads → glow-ups), making them algorithm gold. - Cultural appetite: After pandemic fatigue and political burnout, audiences wanted optimistic, low-friction content. Manifestation and hopeful aesthetics provided emotional relief. - Cross-pollination: Subcultures like #booktok, #filmtok, and dating microtrends borrowed delulu/hopecore language and aesthetics, creating hybrid content that spread faster.

Still, the popularity created a paradox: once mainstreamed (and even used in parliamentary banter — Australian PM Anthony Albanese invoked “delulu” in March 2025), the trend’s core meaning diluted. What started as community shorthand got folded into corporate campaigns and parody. That’s when things got ugly: influencers who leaned into the surface-level symbolism (pink lighting, soft music, manifesto text overlays) but ignored genuine sentiment or nuance produced content that read as exploitative, tone-deaf, or simply laughable.

Another wrinkle: the dating application of delulu. “Delulu dating” emerged as creators showcased manifesting romantic outcomes rather than genuine relational skills. The result? Content that either normalized wishful thinking instead of healthy boundaries or made the creator look like they were living in a rom-com montage while reality delivered beige-flag dates and awkward DMs.

Finally, celebrity audio and trend catalysts (e.g., the Bad Bunny “DTMF” audio trend early in 2025) changed pacing and mood. A sound bite can teach millions how to execute an aesthetic instantly — but it can also codify terrible takes. When a creator pairs a blasé flex with delulu copy, the mismatch becomes meme fuel.

Key Components and Analysis: Where Creators Bunged It

Let’s outline the common screw-ups by type, with a little roast on top.

Performance over authenticity

- The archetype: Influencers who paste motivational affirmations over luxury-brand shots and call it manifesting. Audiences smelled performative aspirationalism from the first slow pan over a leased car. - Why it fails: Manifestation content works when it’s grounded in relatable process (journal prompts, micro-habits). When it’s just “visuals = wins,” viewers react with side-eye and meme-ification.

Quantified positivity = canned positivity

- The archetype: “I did this 5-minute ritual and now I make six figures.” These videos promise outsized outcomes from minimal, unverifiable actions. - Why it fails: It triggers skepticism and leads to backlash; people want context and vulnerability, not miracle claims.

Misreading audience sophistication

- The archetype: Creators who assume all viewers are happy to be comforted. Enter the influencer who used hopecore aesthetics to gloss over real issues — mental health, socioeconomic constraints, etc. - Why it fails: The internet applauds hope but punishes tone-deaf optimism when it ignores structural realities. The content becomes easy fodder for critique, especially from subcultures that prize nuance.

Trend-fatigue exploitation

- The archetype: Brands and creators who slapped #delulu on anything that sold well this quarter. #DeluluSkincare, anyone? - Why it fails: Oversaturation breeds mockery. When a trend becomes a catch-all marketing veneer, creators lose trust equity.

The dating derail

- The archetype: Creators demonstrating “delulu dating” as a strategy to manifest high-value partners, often paired with performative vulnerability or staged videos. - Why it fails: Relationships aren’t algorithms. Viewers call out inauthenticity and romanticize unhealthy behaviors. The backlash is swift.

Political and semantic misuses

- The archetype: Public figures co-opting slang in formal contexts (like parliamentary jabs) can be clever, but when brands or influencers use it clumsily, it reads as grasping. - Why it fails: Language inflection matters. When slang migrates to the mainstream, nuance gets lost. The trend becomes a caricature.

Statistically, the trend signals were huge (again: #delulu >5B views historically and TikTok spotlighted it for 2025). But scale doesn’t inoculate content from poor execution. The platform’s appetite for remixable audio (e.g., Bad Bunny participation in DTMF trend) accelerated replication — and the more replication, the more room for parody.

Key players included a cross-section of creators: mainstream lifestyle influencers who treated delulu as a brand device; micro-influencers in dating niches who monetized manifesting content; and brands that used hopecore aesthetics in product pushes. Some positive exceptions existed — creators who contextualized manifestation within therapy or habit-building frameworks — but they were drowned out by louder, cringier takes.

Practical Applications: How to Ride the Trend Without Face-Planting

Alright, roast aside, here's how creators and brands can responsibly and effectively leverage delulu, hopecore, and adjacent 2025 trends.

Anchor optimism with reality

- Do: Pair hope-driven messaging with practical steps. If you’re manifesting a career shift, show the networking, the CV work, or the small routines that produced momentum. - Don’t: Promise outcomes. Don’t claim a 5-minute ritual equals overnight success.

Respect subcultural origins

- Do: Acknowledge where the shorthand comes from. Use the language in ways that align with the community’s values. - Don’t: Rebrand slang into a sales pitch without nodding to its roots.

Be transparent about sponsorship and product fit

- Do: If a hopecore aesthetic collides with a brand collab, explain why the product supports the narrative (e.g., a journal that actually has evidence-based prompts). - Don’t: Weaponize aesthetics to hide poor product-market fit.

Choose sound and pacing deliberately

- Do: Use audio that complements the message. A poignant confession deserves subtler production than a luxury flex. - Don’t: Slap the hottest audio on incompatible content. Memes are merciless.

Test authenticity via micro-content

- Do: Run short experiments (polls, AMAs) to gauge audience receptivity. Creators who experiment adapt faster. - Don’t: Assume one viral formula fits every community.

Contextualize “delulu dating”

- Do: Frame manifestation in dating as boundary-setting and self-worth work; include safety, consent, and communication tips. - Don’t: Portray manifesting as manipulation or as a substitute for emotional labor.

Actionable takeaways (quick list) - Use manifestation formats to teach skills, not promises. - Pair hopecore aesthetics with evidence-based wellness content. - A/B test content tones: vulnerability > performative flex. - Cite community foundations when borrowing slang. - Disclose brand relationships and explain relevance. - Avoid miracle claims; prefer incremental wins.

A simple content formula that worked for the less-cringe creators in 2025: Hook (relatable problem) → Small, practical step (journal prompt, micro-habit) → Honest result (progress, not perfection) → Call to action (join a challenge, comment). Repeat.

Challenges and Solutions: Why Some Influencers Keep Tripping

Challenge 1: Monetization pressures - Problem: Creators feel financial pressure to monetize trending formats quickly, leading to shallow or misleading content. - Solution: Diversify revenue streams to resist trend chase; focus sponsorships on tight product-fit partnerships. Brands like Cash App showed in 2025 that community-aligned activations (e.g., partnering with The Sports Bra for WNBA celebrations) can work because they’re culturally relevant and not purely veneer.

Challenge 2: Algorithmic reward vs. ethical content - Problem: Short-term engagement signals reward sensational manifesting claims, but long-term audience trust suffers. - Solution: Prioritize trust metrics (return viewers, community feedback). Invest in slower, richer content periodically to reset expectations.

Challenge 3: Slang migration and semantic drift - Problem: Words like delulu leave fandoms and enter mainstream conversations (even parliament), losing nuance and inviting misuse. - Solution: Creators should treat slang as permissioned vocabulary — use it to signal community literacy, not as a headline elsewhere.

Challenge 4: Intersection with mental health - Problem: Hopecore aestheticizing wellness can trivialize deep issues. - Solution: Add trigger warnings where applicable, partner with qualified professionals for mental health content, and maintain disclaimers. Transparency preserves credibility.

Challenge 5: Audience sophistication and backlash speed - Problem: Audiences are quick to call out performative moves; the backlash can be career-damaging. - Solution: Embrace two-way communication. If you misstep, respond with humility, correct the record, and show tangible changes.

Practical rescue playbook for creators who already botched a trend:

Own the mistake within 24–48 hours. Audiences respect prompt accountability.

Explain what you learned and how you’ll change your process.

Amplify voices from impacted communities (e.g., mental health professionals, subculture leaders).

Pivot content to educational or service-oriented formats, demonstrating sincerity.

Avoid PR spin; authenticity is non-fungible currency.

Future Outlook: Where Delulu, Hopecore, and Viral Trend Fails Are Headed

Prediction 1 — Sophistication over surface aesthetics As audiences mature, they’ll reward creators who embed substance in style. Hopecore will evolve into “hard-won hope” narratives — the pastel aesthetic paired with gritty process footage, therapy check-ins, and measurable habit change. The era of “look-how-happy-I-am” quickies will shrink.

Prediction 2 — Regulatory and platform pushback With trends crossing into political contexts and wellness claims veering into quasi-medical promises, platforms and regulators will increase scrutiny. Creators touting unverified cures or miracle outcomes may face stricter content labeling requirements. TikTok and advertisers will lean into more responsible trend playbooks.

Prediction 3 — Subculture gatekeeping and creative re-appropriation Niche communities (booktok, filmtok, dating micro-communities) will reassert control by producing counter-formats. Expect memetic backlash creators making reaction videos that highlight tone-deaf trend executions. These meta-memes will be a key means of policing authenticity.

Prediction 4 — Better brand-creator alignment Brands will learn (or be forced to learn) that slapping a trending hashtag on a product is insufficient. Successful brand activations will lean into community relevance, as seen with campaigns that matched genuine fan behaviors or sponsored creator-led educational content.

Prediction 5 — Evolution of “delulu” language Language evolves. Delulu will keep shedding and accruing meanings. Politicians using slang will be normal; brands may attempt to co-opt it less successfully. The real winners will be creators who can both participate in the vernacular and translate it into inclusive, practical messaging.

How this affects creators and brands: - Creators: The runway for low-effort virality is shortening. Invest in credibility — skills, partnerships, and ongoing conversation. - Brands: Transactional trend-hopping will fail. Invest in creator partnerships that demonstrate shared values and community stewardship. - Platforms: Expect more nuance in trend spotlights, with platform-level guidance on responsible content (e.g., labeling, educational attachments).

In short, the trend landscape is moving from “style-only” virality to “substance-enabled” virality. That’s good news for creators who want longevity, and bad news for anyone whose content strategy relies on shallow optics.

Conclusion

2025’s delulu and hopecore wave delivered one clear lesson: trends are powerful, but power without responsibility looks… well, cringe. The influencers who “butchered” these trends didn’t fail because the trend was weak; they failed because they traded cultural literacy and authenticity for aesthetic shortcuts and hollow promises. With #delulu having historic traction (millions — if not billions — of views on platform-level metrics) and hopecore offering fertile creative ground, it was inevitable that some creators would win and others would spectacularly misfire.

This roast compilation was part catharsis, part field manual. Roasting is fun, but the real takeaway is constructive: anchor hope-based content in real practice, respect communities, disclose partnerships, and don’t weaponize positivity as a shortcut to profit. If you’re a creator, treat delulu and hopecore as languages to be learned, not costumes to be worn for three clicks. If you’re a brand, don’t force-fit aesthetics into your product narrative — find a creator whose content history proves they understand the community, and let them lead.

TikTok will keep spotlighting trends. Audiences will keep voting with their attention and their comments. The next wave will not be dominated by the loudest aesthetic; it will be dominated by the most credible voices. Be credible, be useful, and if you must be delulu — at least be honest about it.