A viral trend dubbed “The Howard Effect” gained popularity on TikTok during the spring semester of 2024. The trend sparked debate on social media about whether the “effect” was due to Howard University’s culture or a product of self-realization.
Howard’s students coined “The Howard Effect” back in April, a trend in which students showcased their transformations from their first year to their current standing at the university, set to the song “Gimme Da Lite” by Lil Yachty and Southside.
Madeline Hale, a junior journalism major from Georgia, was one of 22,800 people who posted their video using the sound.
“The trend was super fun to participate in, but it was interesting seeing how it kind of snowballed into something sort of political,” Hale said.
Hale’s comment section was one of many that sparked debate among users, leading to response videos in which some users claimed “The Howard Effect” was falsely attributing these transformations to the university’s culture.
“It just looks like y’all learned how to do y’all hair and makeup,” user TheRealMelaninMaya said. “I know we want to call it the Howard Effect, but you learned that you found a really good color shade, a color match of your foundation, really good concealer, you know how to put the blush in the right placements, you got all your brushes and your pallets and your sponges, and now you’re a bad b***h.”
Hale disagreed with some of the comments and explained that her transformation stemmed from embracing the diverse beauty standards she discovered after coming to Howard.
“I learned when I came to Howard that there’s different types of beautiful. Being Black and beautiful is not, you know, just IG model bad,” Hale said. “There’s just so many different aesthetics. The trend just speaks to how diverse the beauty standard at Howard is.”
Jaheim Holmes, a senior political science major and sociology minor from Brooklyn, New York, is the class eight President of Models of the Mecca, a fashion organization promoting inclusivity and excellence through print and runway modeling events.
Hailing from a strict Christian upbringing, Holmes said that Howard was the first place he was allowed to express himself freely.
“I remember celebrating when I bought my first necklace. Like that’s how strict my household was.” Holmes said. “I saw these other black gays, and I was like, he’s in a crop top. My parents aren’t here. I can be in that crop top as well.”
Holmes explained that he was glad he had the opportunity to explore his style.
“Some of us know who we are coming in, but we just have that fear of expressing ourselves. And I think Howard provides people with the platform to do exactly that. That’s where the Howard effect definitely comes from,” Holmes said.
Howard alumna Nadia Wong, from Tampa, Florida, was the creative director for Models of the Mecca classes five and six. She commented that being a part of the modeling organization at Howard helped her learn about her personal aesthetics and beauty.
“I left knowing who I was and knowing what I felt comfortable wearing, what made me feel very beautiful and, like, not only beautiful in my skin but safe within my skin,” Wong said. “I feel like Models of the Mecca especially helped me experiment a lot with different looks and styles.”
Sydnee Assan, an incoming freshman broadcast journalism major from Prince George’s County, Maryland, was urged by her peers to attend Howard after seeing the trend and it played a part in making the university one of her top three choices.
“Everybody knew that I was interested in going to Howard. I got this text message, like, ‘Girl, you better choose Howard because the way you’re about to glow up in four years is gonna be insane,’” Assan said.
Assan continued and said that Howard’s community can’t be replicated.
“We have a community and a sense of culture that nobody else can replicate,” Assan said. “I think that was a big portion of why my class of 2028 decided that Howard may be the choice for them.”
Copy edited by Anijah Franklin
