![]() SHAPIRO: I guess there are worse things bored teens can do.Ĭopyright © 2022 NPR. It's just there's nothing else better to do. SHAPIRO: So why did he do the whole suit up and post on TikTok about it thing? LAW: OK, if I'm going to be honest, I didn't like the movie. But Joshua Law - you know, that teenager we heard from earlier - he actually wasn't a huge fan of the movie. SHAPIRO: And, I suppose, free marketing for a movie that's doing pretty well at the box office.ĬHANG: Yeah, apparently it's doing awesome at the box office. So, you know, again, this just happened to be where you could grow your influence. GRYGIEL: We've all been geared towards more media. And they say the rising popularity of social media influencer as a career path contributes to some of the absurdity that we are seeing online right now. So that's Jennifer Grygiel, an associate professor of communications at Syracuse University and an expert in social media and memes. That's why it's also, you know, kind of just taking off.ĬHANG: I think so. JENNIFER GRYGIEL: Overall, it's just everything is highly memetic. Why is this trend going viral?ĬHANG: Well, you know, Ari, being NPR, we asked an expert about this. And some theaters have gone as far as to ban wearing suits altogether. And they're even starting these mosh pits. SHAPIRO: I don't - is this safe for public radio?ĬHANG: (Laughter) Well, it turns out, like, some of these kids, they get pretty rowdy. And I guess this video is one of the tamer ones, supposedly. And he appeared in one of these GentleMinion videos that got, like, 1.3 million views on TikTok. That's 18-year-old Joshua Law from Singapore. So then we just decided to try it out in Singapore.ĬHANG: OK. JOSHUA LAW: At first, we saw the TikToks from the American kids at first. And I guess this trend, it's, like, going viral all over the world. And then they make these TikToks about it because of course.ĬHANG: Exactly. And they're calling themselves the GentleMinions.ĬHANG: OK, got it? All right. So for their new movie, "Minions: The Rise Of Gru," there are, like, these large groups of people, mostly teenage guys, who are suiting up in, like, dress suits and heading out to theaters to watch this movie. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As Minion, inaudible).ĬHANG: (Laughter) OK. Like, Minions - right? - like, (imitating Minion). Go ahead.ĬHANG: Have you ever heard of the GentleMinions (ph)? ![]() This happened in Australia, a week before Rise of Gru’s United States release, and naturally helped the trend gain traction before the film arrived stateside - where it broke a Fourth of July box office record, per Deadline.So, Ari, do you want to hear something that's going to make you feel really old?ĭoes anyone ever want to hear something that makes them feel old? OK. They even ran into another likeminded group at the theater, proving the power of the budding trend. We had all had our suits ready,” he said. “We had our formal literally a couple days before that. One such Gentleminion, Bill Hirst, received more than 8 million likes on his TikTok about the experience - telling Variety that his group’s outing originally came together as a “very spontaneous” thing. On TikTok alone, the #Gentleminions tag has amassed more than 25 million views and counting - with many videos highlighting the well-dressed teens and young adults descending upon their local movie theaters. ![]() Say “bello!” to the #Gentleminions.Īs you might have already seen while scrolling through your FYP, the Gentleminion trend revolves around groups of young men attending The Rise of Gru in suits and ties. Audiences are hungry for the immersive theater experience that is a Minions movie, and are dressing for the occasion. And hey, it’s a timeless look! But this is 2022 - seven years after the banana-loving henchmen had their first solo outing, and more than a decade after Despicable Mefirst hit theaters. You might think that “suiting up” for a showing of Minions: The Rise of Gru means throwing goggles and overalls over a yellow top and calling it a day.
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