Why elaborate (and expensive) dorm room decor reveals have taken over TikTok

There was a time, back in the olden days us elder millennials called "the early 2000s," when dorm room decor consisted of a "bed in a bag," a milk crate and a shower caddy.

It didn't do much to cheer up the cement room you shared with the Bio major you'd never met until orientation day, but it was something — and it was yours.

Now it would seem, at least according to social media, that the prison cell esthetic is no longer a rite of passage.

"Emily and Hadley, are you ready for your grand reveal?" a professional designer said in a TikTok "dorm reveal" video last week before showing two freshmen their new space — complete with ruffled bedspreads, matching canopied headboards, an accent rug, a sectional sofa, soft lighting, framed art and a vanity.

Dorm room upgrades — and their reveals — are so popular online that there's a #DormTok hashtag where videos can get millions of views, and Facebook groups like " Dorm Rooms of Mississippi and Beyond" where some 80,000 members swap design ideas.

There are countless magazine articles that list dorm room "essentials" such as dust ruffles and monogrammed pillows, and Pinterest boards full of "cottagecore nature dorm room" and "coastal dream dorm room" inspiration. Even Ikea has a dorm room transformation page on its website, with design suggestions for a "modern whimsy" look that comes with about a $2,700 Cdn price tag.

There are interior designers who specialize in dorm rooms and charge as much as $20,000 US. And, most critically: there are parents willing to foot the bill.

The U.S. National Retail Federation estimates that college back-to-school shoppers will spend about $14 billion US on dorm and apartment furnishings this season — a 10 per cent jump from last year .

In another video posted this week , a professional designer shows off "all the details" for a dorm room makeover at the University of Mississippi, including floor-length drapes, a carpet runner, a ruffled white couch with throw pillows, side tables, lamps, a coffee table, custom-built padded desk chairs, custom-built headboards, bedside cubbies and matching ottomans to help the girls step into their raised beds.

"Moved the baby of the brood into her dorm at East Tennessee State," posted a mom on Threads earlier this week alongside photos of a similar room makeover: raised beds, matching ottomans, headboards, floral carpeting, and a lit-up makeup vanity on what used to be a desk.

"12 hours to set up but it was worth it," another TikToker writes alongside a video with 3.5 million views where she reveals a carpet, velvet headboard, shelving and floral decor.

If you're wondering what-in-the-upholstered-headboard is happening on college campuses these days, you're not alone. The comment sections on the many (and there are many) videos and posts of so-called dorm room reveals flooding social media this month are a mix of admiration, confusion and disbelief.

"Does anyone else think this is insane?" reads a comment on one of the TikTok videos. The comment was liked 30,000 times.

"L iving in a shitty dorm is a part of the college experience," someone commented on another video.