This is what lies behind “airport tray aesthetics”

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Grey plastic, quite bulky and probably not particularly medical: security tubs at the airport not only sound unsexy, they usually don’t look particularly appealing either.

Actually, the appearance of these gray plastic things doesn’t matter as long as they serve their purpose. And at the end of the day, that is that air travelers can stow their hand luggage in them and airport employees can easily check their contents.

It’s no wonder that many people have paid little attention to these safety tubs so far. But on Tiktok, they are currently mutating into the new it-piece.

“Airport Tray Aesthetic” is the name of the new trend in which people place their hand luggage as nicely as possible in the security boxes and then take photos of it. The viral images and videos often feature branded shoes, expensive handbags, exclusive jewelry and sunglasses.

Of course, a plane ticket and passport are a must. This way, influencers can kill two birds with one stone: On the one hand, they can more or less subtly show off their exciting jet-set life.

Tiktok: “Airport tray aesthetic” next digital flex?

On the other hand, you can express your personal fashion style and at the same time show your followers how well you can adapt it to your respective travel destination.

This is how trend analyst J’Nae Philips explains it to the Guardian. For them, the “Airport Tray Aesthetics” represents the latest form of digital flexing: “This phenomenon is an evolution of #foodstagram and aesthetic food images posted online.” The photos were able to convey a certain lifestyle and sense of good taste.

But the “airport tray aesthetic” goes a step further, according to Philips. The photos combine the thrill of travel with conspicuous consumption, allowing people to broadcast their desired identity in a way that feels fresh.

Avoid problems at security checkpoints

There are already countless videos on Tiktok with the corresponding hashtag. According to the New York Post, there were already over 16 million by the end of August.

However, a debate has already broken out in the comments section under some videos about whether the trend would not exacerbate the problem of the already long queues at security checkpoints.

Other users write that the security check is far too hectic for them to be able to arrange their hand luggage neatly and aesthetically pleasing.

But to avoid this stress and not hold anyone up unnecessarily, many creators use a trick: they simply take the photos after the security check.

To do this, they grab a security box and stand a little way off to arrange their things neatly. Some users are even considering ordering a safety tub to their home. Then you would have all the time in the world for the photos and could even adjust the lighting perfectly.

The Tiktok trend has not yet caused any major problems at German airports. The “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (RND) reports that no incidents are known in Frankfurt, Berlin or Munich. In Munich, taking photographs in the security area is prohibited anyway.

It is human nature to categorize. Germans in particular love their drawers, not only in their own wardrobes, but also in everyday life, everything and everyone has to be quickly put into a category.