Kombucha Girl

Origin

‘Kombucha Girl’ is Brittany Tomlinson, whose 2019 TikTok of tasting kombucha for the first time went viral. In the clip she grimaces at the first sip, then reconsiders, then lands on an uncertain, can’t-quite-decide expression, cycling through the whole range in seconds. The moment was reposted across Twitter and Instagram, where it quickly outgrew its TikTok origin.

Meaning & usage

The clip’s two contrasting faces — initial disgust versus a reconsidering ‘actually, maybe?’ — became a split-panel reaction for anything you cannot decide how you feel about. The format usually crops the two expressions into a stacked, two-panel image so the shift from ‘no’ to ‘wait, maybe’ reads instantly. It captures ambivalence perfectly, letting posters weigh two options or react to news that is equal parts bad and intriguing, and it remains a staple ‘I have mixed feelings’ image years later.

Notable examples

• Two-panel edits labeling a tempting-but-questionable idea.
• Reacting to a plan that sounds terrible and great at once.
• Reacting to food, music, or takes you are genuinely torn on.
• Standalone use of the second, uncertain face as a mood.