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  • Trending

What's it like 'Growing up shy'?

  • Published
    20 July 2015
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Media caption,

By BBC Trending
What's popular and why

Hundreds of thousands of people are sharing memories of socially awkward childhoods with the hashtag #GrowingUpShy, external.

The outburst of nostalgia has become a phenomenon on social media over the past week with millions using hashtags beginning with "Growing up ..."

The trend began in the US when some African-American Twitter users shared jokes and images under the hashtag #GrowingUpBlack. It was tweeted over 2 million times and spawned dozens of spinoffs, as BBC Trending previously reported. #GrowingUpHispanic, #GrowingUpArab, #GrowingUpNigerian, and phrases related to pretty much any ethnicity or nationality you can think of trended in regions around the world.

The movement has now moved beyond ethnic identity with tags such as #GrowingUpPoor and #GrowingUpWithMyName.

twitterImage source, Twitter
growing up with my nameImage source, Twitter

One of the most popular spin-offs was #GrowingUpShy, with more than 600,000 mentions.

twitterImage source, Twitter

To find out more about how that hashtag started - watch the video above or go to our Facebook page, external.

Video journalists: Ravin Sampat, external and Henry Wilmer

Next story: The criminal 'trend'... that isn't really happening

Florida police are looking for a man in connection with the theft of a flag - but has the viral video he appears in kicked off a larger trend?Image source, Facebook

It's been widely reported that the "No Flagging Challenge" - in which Confederate flags are stolen - is spreading across the US. But in fact only a handful of videos showing such incidents have been posted online. READ MORE

You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, external, and find us on Facebook, external. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.

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