On TikTok and Instagram, a growing number of young people are romanticizing their hangovers, transforming the morning-after misery into a content-worthy aesthetic. Instead of hiding their dark circles and headaches, they broadcast them as trophies from a night well spent.
Hangover Chic as a Cultural Statement
Content creator Allana Blumberg, 26, told the Guardian that romanticizing her hangovers helps her avoid wallowing. "Just because you go out with your girls and have a fun night doesn't mean you have to continue to do things that aren't so great for your body," she said. "[You can] trick yourself into thinking that your hangover isn't real and feel like you're in a romcom situation."
One TikTok captioned "Romanticizing my hangover bc I'm a young ho and that means I had a fun night" shows a woman dancing while brushing her teeth in sweats. Another creator wrote: "Feeling hungover but full of love and happiness." A third posted: "I'm rotting in my nyc apartment and im hungover from running around nyc til the sun came up," set to Frank Sinatra's New York, New York.
Rebuttal to Body Optimization Culture
Mary Anne Porto, senior editor at Punch, a drinks-focused digital media company, said the trend pushes back against wellness culture. "People are sick of hearing about wellness culture," she said. "I personally don't think we should be romanticizing feeling gross, but it's about not beating yourself up over having a good night. They're saying it's OK to have balance."
In an era of hypercurated feeds showcasing green juices and strength training, posting aspirational hangover content feels transgressive. Dave Infante, who writes the newsletter Fingers about American drinking culture, said: "Alcohol and hangover [content] sort of taps into that 'I'm colorfully destructive,' devil-may-care type of thing. That's always been an attractive persona for young people." He cited millennial figures like Cat Marnell and Chelsea Handler as predecessors.
The Alix Earle Effect
One TikTok captioned "Romanticizing being hungover because that's what Alix Earle would do" has been liked more than 222,000 times. Earle, a popular influencer, rose to fame documenting her hard-partying college days and hosts the podcast Hot Mess with Alix Earle.
Blumberg's own Instagram reel turned her hangover routine into a Pottery Barn scene: lighting candles, making cappuccino, reading her Kindle in dappled sunlight. "Trick yourself into thinking that your hangover isn't real," she advised.
Wellness Rituals and Product Placement
Many TikTok users rebrand their hangovers as wellness rituals, often featuring products like almond milk, Red Bull, Electrolit, iced coffee, or Diet Coke. One woman walked to H Mart to "get some groceries & a sweet treat." While such remedies—from hair of the dog to prairie oysters—are not new, they now double as covert commercials.
Gen Z Drinking Paradox
Despite the label "generation sensible," Gen Z is getting hangovers. Infante noted that Americans of all ages are drinking less, and Gen Z ranges from 14 to 29, with many too young to barhop legally. A recent survey found that 75% of Gen Z respondents are cutting back on social plans involving drinking—not from lack of desire, but due to cost. For them, having a hangover can feel like an achievement after a rare night out.
Still, the trend has limits: videos never show vomiting or risky behavior, and most creators are under 30. "I used to joke when I was younger that a hangover is a mindset, because I used to not get hungover at all," Blumberg said. "But it's definitely starting to get worse."
