46,86,314 posts pop up on Instagram when I type in slime.
The results are nowhere near the gooey, viscous mess I had in mind. There are no fierce blobs dripping down unsuspecting faces. No murky caves with slime-slathered, green rocks. Simply put, 2017’s rendition has nothing to do with Halloween, horror movies or spooky costumes.
Slime is back. Slime is in. And this time, it is all about TOUCH. And well, the slimy old internet.
Even as I speak, the internet is adding multiple home-made slime recipes to its treasure trove.
How Can ‘Slime’ Possibly Trend?
So what exactly are people doing with colourful blobs of slime?
Umm...technically, nothing.
Therapeutically, everything.
What you do is get hold of some slime, the kind that is trending, mind you, and then let loose the cave-man/woman inside you.
Wring it, run your fingers through it, squish, squeeze, squelch...you get the drift, right?
What They’ll Have You Believe...
Now, a preliminary search will provide you with elaborate answers that will psychoanalyse all the colours, aromas, oils, borax and glue out of the slime! They will tell you how your generation is one that’s chained to a screen all the time and is looking to widen the gamut of sensory pleasures. They will tell you how the slime trend is tapping into your primordial self that is craving for instant gratification...to touch, feel and experience instantaneously.
Let that slimy, accessible blob breathe life into you and provide you with the agency your body has been craving.
Well, I say.... Pshshshst.
My guess is that our fingers, accustomed to constant browsing and clicking, are now incapable of staying still. Computer screens, iPads, mobile screens...there’s no break. So we’ve found a new way to satiate them twiddling fingers.
SLIME!
Or You Can Just...
Until you get hold of your own blob, here’s some desi champi to remind you that there are perhaps better ways to channel those primal energies!
Come on, give yourself one. Not only will it cool you down, but also (maybe) get you off your phone and out on the streets for some breezy, fresh air to satiate your senses.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)