TikTok is a breeding ground for food trends, from Emily Mariko’s salmon and rice bowl to Chipotle quesadilla hacks, users eat these trends up. The power of the FYP is strong, and I often find myself convinced to try things I’d never thought of before, like Harry Styles’ red wine and ginger ale combo. The newest fad taking over TikTok is eating oranges in the shower, also called shower orange. Yes, you read that right.
A TikTok that now has over seven million views and one million likes spurred the movement, and honestly makes a pretty good argument for why you should bring your Cuties in the shower.
In his video, user @au.stino peels an orange as water from the shower head falls all over his hands and the orange in question. Although the idea of fruit covered in warm water doesn’t sound super appealing to me, Austin writes that “eating an orange in the shower eliminates any worry of making a mess. So, easy clean up and you can rip it open with no remorse.” I’m all for tricks that decrease my cleaning time, so this got me willing to hear him out. He goes on to say that another reason why oranges are best eaten in the shower is because the humidity created by the warm water enhances the citrusy taste and smell of the fruit, and that citrus scent has been linked to stress relief — a quick Google search revealed this actually is true.
Commenters had mixed feelings about Austin’s argument. One user wrote, “That’s actually illegal in some states …not even joking 😅 idk why but it is” and gained over 18,000 likes — people understandably suspicious about the idea of damp fruit. But other commenters pointed out that while Austin’s video made the concept into an instant trend, people around the world have been bringing oranges in the shower for years. User @floeziegfeld commented that “In Morocco when we go to the Hammam (bath houses) everybody brings clementines/oranges to eat. Also prevents you from fainting.”
Another user pointed out that there has actually been a Reddit thread called r/ShowerOrange dedicated to this phenomenon since 2015. Definitely check it out if you want a good laugh. Users on the thread fill it with detailed retellings of their shower orange experiences accompanied by images of the remnants of the citrus on their shower floors.
According to dieticians, there isn’t a huge danger associated with the trend besides potentially choking or slipping in the shower, but for me that’s not hugely different from the risks that come with eating or showering in general. So whether or not you think this is something people should be doing, you definitely can do it. To avoid a soggy orange and peel clogging my drain, I think I’ll just stick to scented candles while I shower.