According to the American Dental Association, chewing ice is bad for you and can lead to gum injuries and broken teeth. But warnings from dentists seem to mean nothing to these Chinese women who are jumping on the latest viral trend: recording videos of themselves eating ice.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgWexSVAQAH/?utm_source=ig_embed
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgKsD7cluYl/?utm_source=ig_embed
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgWdQ7NA23w/?utm_source=ig_embed
Extra points if you can chow down on beautifully shaped and colorful ice sculptures in your video.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgSorSXgyfq/?utm_source=ig_embed
https://twitter.com/SputnikInt/status/974732030461190144
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfizqu8n0pA/?utm_source=ig_embed
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgZLc5GgS9L/?tagged=asmrice
Of course, if you’re a man who wants to get in on the trend, you’re going to have to take your game to the next level. Do something like eat an entire frozen fish head first, for example.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgYzUUSgfHi/?taken-by=iceeeecraving
The trend is connected to the ASMR movement, with many posters using the hashtag #asmrice, although the loud crunching might seem far removed from the soft whispering videos you may have seen on YouTube.
ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response and is a fairly recent term that is still being defined. It’s most commonly used to describe a pleasurable tingling sensation caused by certain sounds and/or visual stimuli, so if a person experiences that while watching someone chew on ice, then it fits the definition.
Watching the videos certainly won’t harm your teeth, so if it makes you feel tingly, go for it. Just don’t try making one yourself if you don’t have dental insurance.