Non-Filipino influencers embracing the ‘bebot’ trend: a 2000s beauty look goes mega-viral
Beauty trends, especially good ones, rarely stay confined to one place for long. On TikTok in particular, aesthetics travel at speed, often moving far from their point of origin within days. The “bebot” trend is one such example. Rooted in Filipino beauty culture and shaped by early 2000s glamour, it draws from club styling, pageant polish and hyper-feminine presentation that once defined a specific moment in local pop culture.
As the bebot trend began appearing on international feeds, non-Filipino influencers started recreating the look, sometimes referencing its cultural background and sometimes situating it within a broader Y2K revival. The result is a wave of interpretations that vary in accuracy and intent. To understand how this viral look is being adopted globally, it helps to first clarify what “bebot” has historically meant within the Filipino context.
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What is a ‘historically accurate’ bebot?
“Bebot” is a colloquial Filipino term often used to refer to a pretty young woman. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it became shorthand for an aesthetic shaped by local pop culture, mall pageantry and music video styling. The look overlapped with Filipina clubwear, early Pinoy hip-hop visuals and beauty pageant polish. It also intersected with diaspora representations, including the 2003 single “Bebot” by The Black Eyed Peas, which referenced Filipina identity within a global pop framework.
A historically grounded bebot aesthetic is not simply heavy makeup or glossy lips. It reflects a specific time in Philippine beauty culture, when Western influences were filtered through local taste. Thin brows, high-shine lips, visible contour and body shimmer were common, alongside fitted silhouettes and statement accessories. The bebot trend seen today often draws from these references, though accuracy varies depending on the creator’s familiarity with Filipino context.
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Key features of bebot makeup
The bebot trend centres on recognisable beauty markers that defined a particular era of Filipino glamour. Brows are typically arched or pencil-thin, paired with a matte or heavily powdered base that creates a sculpted finish. Contour is pronounced and often matched with bright highlights, while lips lean frosted or glossy in pink and nude tones. Dramatic eyeliner and false lashes frame the eyes, and blush is placed high on the cheekbones to sharpen structure. Body shimmer is commonly applied along the collarbones and shoulders to enhance dimension.
Bebot hair is usually worn long and straight, crimped or styled with a 2000s bump. Accessories such as hoop earrings, butterfly clips or rhinestone details complete the look. Contemporary interpretations of the trend may exaggerate these elements for nostalgia.
Non-Filipino influencers engaging with the bebot trend
Judy Lim
In her take on the bebot trend, Judy Lim ditches modern makeup techniques to recreate Y2K-inspired glam, highlighting sparse, defined brows and muted lips that align with the bebot trend’s visual cues.
Jooshica
Jooshica’s version of the bebot trend shows a transformation from minimal base to full ABG makeup, playing with early 2000s beauty markers that many associate with the look.
Shannon Wu
Shannon Wu does a cleaner version of the bebot trend with a focus on sculpted contour and matte skin.
Garbo Zhu
Garbo Zhu’s reel leans into the high-contrast features of the bebot trend, emphasising sharp brows, frosty eye makeup, and ultra-lined lips.
Slay By Jess
In her bebot trend transformation, Slay By Jess doubles down on bronzed powder base and glossy details, nodding to the look’s 2000s roots while keeping her established style
Kimberly Kim
Kimberly Kim’s refreshing version of a bebot involves pastel eyeshadow, muted lips, and big 2000s lashes.
Alxandra
Alxandra expresses the bebot trend with more modern but still very bebot features, such as arched, pencil-thin brows, visible lip liner and big hair.
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