Makeup artists on TikTok are busy freaking out their followers with a new style of makeup called “uncanny valley” and inspired by the human-like yet unnatural appearance of androids.

The term uncanny valley is used to describe the hypothesized uncomfortable feeling triggered by seeing an entity appearing almost human but not quite so. It is used mainly in relation to humanoid androids that try to mimic our look and mannerisms to perfection but don’t quite succeed. These days, the phrase is going viral on TikTok thanks to a new makeup trend used to transform fleshy humans into creepy cyborgs. The trend is believed to have been sparked by Zara (@alkiiwii), a TikTok user who transformed herself with layers of foundation, concealer, eyeliner, and mascara. Her viral video tagged with #uncannyvalleymakeup has been viewed and shared tens of millions of times, inspiring other makeup enthusiasts to post their own takes on the trend.

Read More »

Yogi, a one-year-old brown Shih Tzu- poodle mix, has become a social media sensation due to his uncanny, almost human-like facial expression.

Photos of this ‘dog with a man’s face’ have been doing the rounds online, and people can’t stop talking about him. It all started when Chantal Desjardins, from Massachusetts, posted a photo of her freshly groomed pooch Yogi, on Facebook. It wasn’t long before her friends started pointing out that his face looked uncannily human-like, and some even asked her if she used editing software like Photoshop or one of those popular ‘face swap’ apps to create the eerie effect. Chantal insisted that she had not manipulated the photo at all, but after examining the photo again, she understood why people were asking her that.

Read More »