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If you’re chronically online (and, honestly, who isn’t?), you’ve probably noticed a new trend on TikTok. People are claiming that the white rabbit came to get them. The idea of a white rabbit coming to catch you somehow seems incredibly bizarre, and possibly dangerous, but the theory is completely metaphorical.

It’s all based on Lewis Carroll’s classic novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” (Or, as we more commonly refer to it in popular culture, “Alice in Wonderland.”) In the original story, a white rabbit shows up and completely turns Alice’s life upside down. Saying the white rabbit got you in real life basically means the same thing happened to you.

What it means when the white rabbit gets you:

After seeing so many trending videos about the white rabbit, Kate Kesselman decided to make a post of her own explaining what in the world the white rabbit theory refers to. “What is the rabbit theory?” she asked. “In ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ before the white rabbit showed up, Alice was in bliss. She was chilling under her tree.”

Unfortunately for Alice, that bliss didn’t last. The rabbit had the audacity to take away any sense of peace she had. “The white rabbit showed up, and her life got flipped upside down,” she continued. “So, the white rabbit theory, the rabbit theory, is when the rabbit comes, your time for something specific is up.”

Just like Alice’s happiness and contentment ended when the rabbit came for her, that’s what people are saying is happening in their real lives. As Kesselman described, “Usually, for a lot of these trending videos, it’s saying that they’re gonna have heartbreak. So the rabbit is showing up, they’re gonna have heartbreak, they’re no longer in the relationship. But it can be whatever specific event is happening.”

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White rabbit theory videos confirm that it’s associated with a major life change, usually heartbreak.

It’s not clear who came up with the white rabbit theory, but it has really taken off. TikTok has been flooded with posts of people using an eerie sound that resembles a clock ticking (also very “Alice in Wonderland” coded) while sharing an image to their white rabbit moment.

For example, a woman named Adetayo posted a video of herself dressed nicely and wheeling a suitcase — presumably traveling somewhere. “The day before the white rabbit got me,” she said.

Jemma, another TikToker, posted a video of a man placing a flower in her hair. “Thinking you broke the cycle and found someone that’s going to treat you right, but that [expletive] white rabbit shows up again,” she said.

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No one knows what causes the pain of heartbreak, so a white rabbit is as good an explanation as any.

According to Meghan Laslocky, the author of “The Little Book of Heartbreak,” no one really knows for sure what causes the physical pain that comes with a heartbreak. “In effect, then, it could be as if the heart’s accelerator and brakes are pushed simultaneously, and those conflicting actions create the sensation of heartbreak,” she stated.

Pixabay | Pexels

Of course, the white rabbit theory is just an idea that gained traction on social media. It’s not some scientific concept that actually explains why people are losing their happiness and peace. However, going through something difficult that causes you to experience heartbreak, whether it’s a breakup or something else, is something we all go through at some point, and something we seek to make sense of.

Saying that the white rabbit came for you when there truly is no other explanation for the pain you’re experiencing is one way to process what you’re going through, and maybe even to take the edge off the pain. Thanks to how it’s taken off on social media, it also gives you a community you can be a part of. It’s a coping mechanism, and it’s probably not the worst you could engage in.

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.