From viral Indonesian boat kid to Amul Girl, what's aura farming?

There's nothing more appealing than looking cool or projecting an aura of charm and confidence. For the younger generation, those who are clubbed under the Gen Z marquee, being effortlessly impressive is the in thing, not just a social media trend.

Early this week, Amul Kerala shared a video featuring the Amul girl doing the "Aura Farming" trend. According to The Economic Times, Riau Governor Abdul Wahid appointed a young Indonesian boy as the ‘Youth Tourism Ambassador’ after his viral Aura Farming dance steps put Indonesia on the global map. But what exactly is Aura Farming?

Aura farming means projecting a “cool vibe.” 'Aura' is the energy a person emits, and 'farming' is the act of shaping that energy deliberately.

You can ‘farm’ aura by curating your presence, online or offline, often to gain admiration, attention or envy from others. As the character Barney famously says in 'How I Met Your Mother', “Whatever you do in this life, it’s not legendary, unless your friends are there to see it.”

'Aura' has become such a key part of Gen Z vocabulary that they even react to public figures by rating their aura. If they disagree with a policy, organisation, or political party, comments like “–3000 aura” appear under their posts. On the other hand, someone admired for their actions might receive a “+10000 aura” rating. A misstep or cringeworthy move, however, results in aura loss. This is why aura is viewed as something to be carefully maintained, much like farming a crop.

Mew it to farm it
One of the most popular methods of aura farming is mewing. This facial posture technique, created by Dr John Mew and Dr Mike Mew, involves pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth, aligning the jaw, and lightly touching the teeth. Advocates claim it sharpens the jawline and improves facial symmetry. While its medical effectiveness remains debated, Gen Z has embraced mewing as a low-cost way to enhance appearance and, in turn, their aura. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit are filled with tutorials, before-and-after posts, and memes connecting mewing with an ‘aura upgrade.’ Self-congratulatory comments like “Skipped work, but I didn’t skip mewing. + 100 aura points,” are not uncommon on social media.

Another form of aura farming is through unique dance moves. The 11-year-old boy, who was recently named Indonesia's tourism ambassador, became popular through his impressive dance moves. Rayyan Arkan Dhika became a global sensation after a video of him dancing at the tip of a traditional racing boat went viral. He was wearing sunglasses and moving nonchalantly during the Pacu Jalur race (Indonesian boat race). Although the video was filmed last year, it resurfaced with Melly Mike’s Young Black & Rich track and spread rapidly. The BBC described it as “possibly the world’s coolest dance” that was “full of swag.” He was seen as the catalyst for the aura farming trend.

Amul, in the recent ad for Onam, recreated Dhika’s move with its iconic mascot dancing on the tip of a racing boat wearing traditional Kerala attire paired with sunglasses. The post was captioned, “Ee Onam On Aavatte, Aaghoshangalude Aura Koodattem”.

Sometimes even your favourite movie characters' aura farm (yes, it’s a verb now). Batman in Batman Returns, Darth Vader in Star Wars, or Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen are all popular examples. You might also recall the candid on-set picture of Tom Holland that went viral for being unbelievably cool. Actor Jayaram also had a peak aura farming moment in the movie Salam Kashmir when Suresh Gopi revealed the true identity of his character as Major Sreekumar.