Tube Girl’s Rise to Fame and Brown Girl Representation
We’ve all seen the beautiful Sabrina Bahsoon (aka Tube Girl) take the digital world by storm.
What started off as a few TikTok videos of lip syncing on the tube with wind in her hair, Sabrina quickly caught the world’s attention with her unmatched confidence, charm, and impeccable 0.5x zoom filming skills and looking amazing whilst doing it, too.
With one video totalling over 26 million views, Bahsoon’s Tiktok account is filled with plenty of tube struts and even bloopers to address the much-asked questions of “do people stare at you?”, “is it awkward?” Sabrina says yes, but to go for it anyway.
It was exactly this confidence that led to the world responding by trying the trend for themselves, nervously testing out camera angles with some people setting themselves ‘challenges’ to use the trend to build confidence and own a space – a feat that’s easier said than done.
The #tubegirl hashtag has amassed over 1 billion views on TikTok, mostly full of support, and various TikTokers around the world trying this on the Metro in Paris, a tram in Germany, or even on their daily walks. It’s safe to say this trend has sparked a phenomenon of women taking the lead, having harmless fun, and learning to exude confidence.
But who is Sabrina?
Sabrina Bahsoon, 22, is of Malaysian and Lebanese descent who went from part-time tutoring to catwalks almost overnight. After her videos caught the attention of everyone who is anyone in the fashion world, she made her debut at London Fashion Week in The MAC Face Show, her content for the Hugo Boss show in Milan garnered their highest-ever views, she walked at the Christian Cowan show for Paris Fashion Week, and recently attended the Valentino SS24 show. Bahsoon is pursuing her fashion career dreams with no hints of slowing down.
In the midst of all of this, some TikTokers have taken criticised this phenomenon, asking the question of who gets to be seen, and the dystopian nature of online personas holding importance in the real world. This criticism is met with mixed views, some even calling this trend cringe, but it all boils down to this: an unproblematic brown girl has fun on TikTok, inviting others to do the same, only for critics to question this.
In the end, Sabrina has helped create a catalyst for people out there, especially people of colour, to take ownership of their own confidence and not be afraid to be seen which is a breath of fresh air. We’re seeing, in real-time, a young woman taking huge strides and even admitting to imposter syndrome (which disproportionately affects people of colour), all whilst serving as positive representation.
“When I started living as my true self, that’s when it all started happening for me.”
While it may be unintentional, Sabrina has opened a door for young brown women to feel seen, and even be inspired by her taking an otherwise unconventional career route often unseen in communities where we’re (understandably) pushed to pursue academic careers (Bahsoon graduated with a Law degree from Durham University earlier this year).
When speaking to the BBC about her new-found fame and career path, she says “being […] in academics for so long, especially as brown girls, we’re always told that we have to have such a traditional route to follow. And anything outside that is so crazy.”
It’s also great to know she likes to keep in touch with her roots, sharing that she enjoys expressing her South-East Asian and Arabic roots through fashion and jewellery and prioritises authenticity.
In a recent interview with Vogue, she responds to the question of how she does it all: “Just don’t care what people think and go for it. When I started living as my true self, that’s when it all started happening for me.”
What do you think? Is Tube Girl just another internet sensation, or has she been an inspiring force?