What Is the 'Flip the Switch' Challenge?

The "flip the switch" challenge has quickly become a favorite of the internet. The latest trending meme originated from the social media platform TikTok, before expanding to Twitter and Instagram.

The hashtag #FlipTheSwitch trended on most social media platforms over the last week, with users coming up with hilarious and creative ways to entertain their followers. The "flip the switch" challenge stems from the Drake song "Nonstop," which featured the lyric "I just flipped the switch" at the start of the song.

The 2018 track became the basis for the new challenge, with the line of lyric from the song playing in the background. The concept of the challenge is relatively simple. A person or group of people perform, dress, dance, or pose a certain way. When the lyrics call for the switch, the people or the environment will swap with something else.

The most popular and widely used version of the meme would involve two people standing with a mirror. When the lyric "I just flipped the switch" plays, the light would flicker off and on. As it flips back on, the two people would swap places, often times completely switching their outfits with each other and other times simply assuming the pose or dance the other was performing.

Celebrities have also taken part in the challenge. On the latest edition of Saturday Night Live, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren made a surprise appearance after dropping out from the 2020 presidential race. One of the more hilarious moments came as Kate McKinnon, who played the senator on SNL, came face to face with Warren. The two performed a special variation of the "flip the switch" challenge, with the senator originally standing still with McKinnon dancing in the background before the two switched places.

Warren and McKinnon's version was even more hilarious than the standard meme as the two essentially are or played the same person, with the same outfit and persona. It also gives everyone the chance to see Warren dancing and happy, a far cry from the never-ending political battles that take place in an election campaign.

Other notable flip the switch memes were shared on Twitter and TikTok. One viral version of flip the switch comes from two roommates who completely changed outfits with each other while dancing.

Another variation comes between a mother and daughter flipping poses and dances. The mother in particular sells this one excellently as she kept the same face throughout.

A father and young child also caught fire on social media, as the two switched to a funny reveal.

As the social media challenge continues to gain steam, expect more notable "flip the switch" challenges from celebrities and the internet.