Does nostalgia have limits? Some say absolutely.
TikToker Grace (@grace_oliviat1d) is definitely one of them. In a viral video, she revealed the presumably decades-old blanket that her roommate still carries with her: A tattered pool of threads.
Since it was posted on March 12, the video has received over 1.6 million likes and over 7,500 comments, with viewers either empathizing with or denouncing Grace’s roommate’s object of affection.
“When I walk into my roommate’s room and see her ‘blankie,'” Grace captioned the video. “Shards.”
Some were quick to criticize: “That is not a blankie. That is something an owl threw up,” @ktima27 wrote.
Another user said that they were thanking their mom for disposing of their childhood blanket when it was “time.”
But others found kinship in the roommate’s commitment to a relic of childhood.
“My grandma made mine and now it’s beyond repair because the strings are so unwoven and knotted, but I still keep it with me,” @branine wrote.
“My blankie is still fully intact and this comment section makes me feel so seen,” @socachild wrote. “I still have my favorite blanket at 25.”
What’s behind the “blankie?”
The child’s “blankie,” or any other toy foundational to early childhood falls into the category of transitional objects—that is, items leveraged during a child’s transition from dependence on caregivers to independence. Most often, this item is a blanket or stuffed animal.
The transitional object has its roots in psychoanalysis from the 1951 paper “Transitional objects and transitional phenomena” by D.W. Winnicott. He describes the process of children seeing the transitional object as “not-me,” thus concretizing an early sense of independence and mimicking the relationship to their mother or carer.
Winnicott wrote that the child typically grows unattached to the transitional object as “cultural interests develop.”
FabrikaCr/Getty Images
In a 1998 study published in the journal Child Psychiatry and Human Development, researchers found that people who had an attachment to a transitional object in childhood reported better maternal bonding than those who didn’t. Alternatively, people who were attached to a transitional object during adolescence had more psychiatric symptoms and reported less overall well-being.
Whether they could relate or not, many viewers of Grace’s video were supportive of the “blankie”—even if not of its condition. Still, some offered creative advice.
“She could take the scraps of fabric she has left, open a plushie she likes, and sew the scraps inside,” @internationalspacesatan wrote. That way her blankie lives on.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Tyler Fields is your internet guru, delving into the latest trends, developments, and issues shaping the online world. With a focus on internet culture, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, Tyler keeps readers informed about the dynamic landscape of the internet and its impact on our digital lives.
