Our spring Cosmo ME cover star, Sabrina Bahsoon, is a confidence conductor. Known as the internet’s resident ‘Tube Girl’, she’s found that confidence is a force harnessed from romanticising your everyday life and a realisation that “no one actually cares”.
Every so often, TikTok births a new trend that has a lingering significance beyond its moment on your FYP, and introduces a viral movement that really changes something in the Gen Z zeitgeist. The platform’s latest phenomenon, the ‘tube girl’ effect, does just that. Sabrina films snappy lip-syncing videos to upbeat music, all the while doing so on public transport and remaining intriguingly unbothered by wide-eyed bystanders.
This brazen and unwavering display of confidence is having its moment, with almost 800,000 followers asking exactly how does she do it? Other Gen Z-ers have taken to Sabrina’s content to implement confidence strategies into their own lives. So what actually happens when confidence becomes trendy?
In an exclusive cover interview with Cosmo ME, Sabrina Bahsoon teaches us how to unlock your inner Tube Girl energy.
All jewellery by Pandora. Exact pieces mentioned below*
Dress: Moschino
Top: Elisabetta Franchi
Hot girls are cringe-y in public
@sabrinabahsoon Stay delulu girlies… the universe has got you #bossmilanshow ♬ Primadonna by Marina – TheMarinaJewels – {Fan Page}
“Everyone thinks you’re cringey before it’s cool”, Sabrina tells Cosmo ME. “I think that my videos were definitely sent into group chats before blowing up”.
Gen Z is exposed to a lot of circulating notions on TikTok of what it means to be “cringe”. Some creators practice cringe comedy, while others formulate lists of what are considered out of fashion, or cheugy. The ‘tube girl’ effect has become a byproduct of this discourse, with some comments suggesting that displays of public confidence are just another thing to cringe over; “ppl are saying tube girl effect but I low key just feel the second-hand embarrassment”, and “I would be far too embarrassed to do this with people in the train”.
In today’s social climate, it’s almost as if Gen Z are wired to care so much about the opinions of others, and often succumb to social anxiety. Perhaps one of the main reasons behind the virality of Sabrina’s videos is the refreshing boldness of confidence that our generation is just not used to seeing, as comments on her videos state, “and there’s me self-conscious when I blow my nose in public” and “I’m too anxious to even scratch an itch in public howww??”.
The ‘tube girl’ effect is providing Gen Z with a fresh perspective on what it means to be confident. Sometimes, being unapologetically cringe-y is the key to subverting social anxiety. As Sabrina tells us herself, “London is so big – people see a bunch of crazy stuff every day. Obviously, they’re not gonna care about me and I will get off in the next station. And they probably won’t even remember me tomorrow”.
Dress: Genny
Shoes: Giuseppe Zanotti
Tights: Stylist’s own
Stay true to yourself
With the hashtag #tubegirl surpassing 2 billion views, thousands of Gen Z-ers around the globe are taking part in the trend. It has transformed into a self-confidence movement to push yourself to combat social anxiety and increase self-confidence in public situations. Comments write, “second-hand embarrassment < second-hand confidence yeah that what we need, tube girl! thank u”, and “You give me so much confidence it’s insane”.
But the question remains, why are we so invested in this trend? It may be that we’re just not used to seeing such refreshingly audacious displays of confidence. Or could it be that the ‘tube girl’ effect has granted us permission to actually show our confidence, instead of fearing its consequences?
Unlocking your Tube Girl energy, says Sabrina in our cover interview, means being true to yourself, “If you really don’t want to do something, you should say no, I think that’s the biggest lesson I’ve learnt”.
Tube Girl’s guide to confidence:
Remain unbothered.
Sabrina has proven that the key to unwavering confidence is remaining unfazed by what everyone else around you.
Music is your best friend.
The best way to feel on top of the world? A killer playlist.
@sabrinabahsoon And you guys really make it fun 😈@JuicyCoutureUk #tubegirl ♬ original sound – habz.fx
Just vibe.
Make the mundane fun again, and romanticise your life.
@sabrinabahsoon Personally i think I’m slaying and trusssttt nobody cares #tubegirl shoutout to all the people who say hi while i made the videos – you make my day 🥰 #tubegirleffect ♬ sexy ass cars – frʌns
Embrace your hot girl energy.
Confidence can be torn down by a lot of factors. Trust in yourself, remember your worth and embrace your inner hot girl energy.
*Jewellery in picture 2
Necklace: Pandora Moments Heart Clasp Snake Chain Necklace by Pandora
Bracelet: Pandora Moments Rose in Bloom Clasp Snake Chain Bracelet by Pandora
Charms: Entwined Infinite Hearts Charm, Pink Family Tree & Heart Dangle Charm, Two-tone Wrapped Heart Charm, Pink Mini Murano Glass Charm, Pandora ME Keyhole Heart Mini Dangle Charm, Encircled Pink Murano Glass Charm, Pandora ME Keyhole Heart Mini Dangle Charm,Clear Eternity Circle Dangle Charm, White Mini Murano Glass Charm, Red Heart & Arrow Murano Glass Dangle Charm, Openable & Engravable Love Locket Dangle Charm, Cherry Blossom Dangle Charm, Forever & Always Splittable Dangle Charm, Splittable Heart & Key Dangle Charm, Opalescent Pink Charm, Pandora ME Cupid Mini Dangle Charm by Pandora
Rings: Polished Wave Ring, Sparkling Wave Ring, Pandora ME Stones & Enamel Ring, Row of Hearts Eternity Ring, Sparkling Overlapping Band Ring, Sparkling Intertwined Wave Ring by Pandora