What Happened to TikTok's 'Fat or Cap'?
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What Happened to TikTok's 'Fat or Cap'?

In terms of internet culture, we all know that TikTok is the current ruler, with billions of users and tons of content creators who will put their own individual spin on any given trend. Sometimes, it ends up going viral and becomes the thing you’re known for, and, in Yiddiez’s case, that something was "Fat or Cap."

In the last year, the New Jersey native has gained hundreds of thousands of fans mostly because of this series. And as you may have guessed, the concept is based on TikTok’s "Fact or Cap" phenomenon, in which creators act as their very own Mythbusters by fact-checking and investigating claims made by other users, and, if found to be untrue, the claim would be deemed "cap."

Like most slang words, "cap" is derived from African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and dates back to the early 1900s, from where it became associated with Atlanta hip-hop and began circulating online for at least the past decade. Over the past couple years though, the term has taken over TikTok after being popularized by a duo known as @partyshirt, filling up comments sections and spurring the creation of similar series like “Fat or Cap,” which became extremely popular almost immediately after debuting in April 2021.

"Fat or Cap" was what catapulted Yiddiez to internet stardom, with some even calling her a part of TikTok’s "Holy Trinity" of roast queens alongside creators Fannita and Drew Afualo, who also make comedic content that hits back at bigots, racists and fat shamers.

Given how successful the series was, Yiddiez then went on to post four "seasons," which starts with a video in which a man claims to love plus-size women. Enter Yiddiez, who usually walks onscreen with a Capri Sun in hand to determine whether or not the guy is actually into plus-size women or if he’s just saying that.

And though a lot of it is based on a "gut feeling," Yiddiez will also scroll through his TikTok and Instagram following list to see what types of creators he follows and evaluate his remarks before declaring the video to either be "Fat or Cap." At least until the series suddenly came to a screeching halt.

@yiddiez_

FAT OR CAP 🧢. PLUS THANK YOUS

♬ original sound - YIDDIEZ

Yiddiez’s account was still up, after all, but instead of regular "Fat or Cap" updates, she started to focus on content about her weightlifting gym journey and experiences as a plus-size Black woman. And while the reception to these videos has been overwhelmingly positive, it also raised some questions about the future of "Fat or Cap," especially amongst fans who loved seeing Yiddiez’s comedic wit on full display when trying to determine which guys have a "genuine" attraction to plus-size women and which are just "using that idea for clout" — something that’s become a concern in the era of virtue signaling.

"You know you’ll get a positive reaction from it, because we are an underrepresented community," she said. "But if I go to your Instagram and see you like all these skinny girls, clearly, you don’t really have an attraction to plus-size women. You just see that right now that that is the trend. So you're hopping on it.”

According to her, one of the dead giveaways is what creators the guy followed prior to Yiddiez, who checks to see if there was a sudden shift towards "following a bunch of plus-size women" after following her, as if "they knew I was coming."

“[And the ones I call 'cap' on] always use that argument that’s like, ‘My following list doesn't determine who I like,’ which can be the case. But if a guy has a tendency to date and only follow blonde hair, blue-eyed women, and, out of nowhere, starts dating a brunette, it’s like, ‘Well, is he actually attracted to me?’," as she said. "I’d hope to see that your entire following list isn’t just plus-size women, but if I go through it and every single girl I see is an Instagram model who’s a double-zero size, I'm going to feel a type of way.”

She added, "Like where's that attraction coming from?"

Then there are the ones who may have a fetish, she said, which is usually indicated by a following list that is only plus-size women. Not to mention the ones she’s seen "create entire accounts and groups about plus-size women" and message things like, "How much do you weigh?"

"I've had videos where I've said, it’s 'not cap' because they do advocate for plus-size bodies, but it also seems like a fetish," as Yiddiez said, explaining that even though it is icky, technically, it isn’t “cap."

But as a result, some of these men have reported her for harassment. However, this wasn’t the reason behind why she stopped doing the series. In fact, she says she still "likes getting tagged in videos requesting a ‘Fat or Cap’" evaluation, because it indicates her TikToks have "taught people” to be more cautious of people’s intentions and authenticity.

@yiddiez_

Video Shoot with EatClean Bro!

♬ Save Your Tears - The Weeknd
@yiddiez_

I do not want to hold your hand

♬ u can hold my hand - judi

So then why did she stop? The reason is actually pretty simple: "Fat or Cap" has reached its goal.

“I see a lot of comments on those videos saying they’ve done the ‘Yiddiez Test’ or the ‘Fat or Cap Test’ and can see that it’s cap,” she explained, adding that she also felt like the videos were "getting a little repetitive" after having made their point.

Besides, she’s looking to "rebrand," as she’s interested in getting more personal with her followers by sharing videos about her life. In particular, she’s focusing more on weightlifting. However, she quickly clarified that it’s "not about me losing weight."

"It’s just for me to stay active," she said, priding herself in the ability to now bench press an impressive 175 pounds. "I want to get stronger. I want to be able to beat up a man. I want to be able to hold my own, to be able to get out of a situation if I have to fight. Knock you out."

So while "Fat or Cap" is currently on hold, Yiddiez did reveal she'll eventually return with the occasional video for fun, though she has plenty of faith in her followers for now.

"They don’t need me anymore," as she said. “But in a good way.”

Welcome to "Internet Explorer," a column by Sandra Song about everything Internet. From meme histories to joke format explainers to collections of some of Twitter's finest roasts, "Internet Explorer" is here to keep you up-to-date with the web's current obsessions — no matter how nonsensical or nihilistic.

Photos via TikTok/@yiddiez_

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