If you have any kind of social media or follow any of the latest trends, you may have noticed that avocados. Are. Everywhere! The creamy fruit (yes, you heard me, fruit!) is native to south-central Mexico, but it has very quickly taken over the United States.

The Washington Post reports that, according the Hass Avocado Board (yes, that’s a thing), avocado sales have been on a steady increase for the past 15 years!

As someone who personally doesn’t like avocados, this baffles me, but I’m not one to judge! I thought all avocados were good for was guacamole, but the people of Instagram and the internet have proven me wrong!

First there was, yes, guacamole, a blended dip of avocados and other vegetables primarily consumed alongside tortilla chips, just like queso or salsa! Next came a wave of people putting avocado on toast. Literally just slicing it up and sticking it on there like it belonged.

This inspired others to experiment with avocados. I’ve seen smoothies, confit, soup, sauces, sushi, rice, and even desserts like cupcakes and popsicles! For such oddly bland-tasting plant, it seems to be very multifaceted in its uses. Surely, the creamy, easily blendable texture is the reason for this.

Even still, it gets stranger. This obsession with avocados has gone beyond food. Avocado art is a thing! Whether it be specially scooping out the fleshy fruit from the skin to make intricate designs or carving up the pit like one would with wood, people are getting creative! Instagram user @danielebarresi_artist is minorly Instagram-famous for her avocado designs, alongside other fruit carvings. The photo below is one of her creative works!

People have also gotten Avocado tattoos, and all kinds of avocado-themed closing such as socks, button-ups, underwear, swimsuits, pajamas, and more! But believe it or not, I haven’t even gotten to the weirdest thing yet. Some lovebird millennials are using avocados to… wait for it… propose! That’s right, you didn’t read that wrong. The whole, down-on-one-knee, Will-You-Marry-Me popping of the question situation now includes an avocado in there somewhere, for some… special… individuals! According to Today news, this trend started with Instagram user Collette Dike, aka @fooddeco, posted this photo:

With the caption: “Tag someone who should propose like this!” And, because millenials and Gen-Z’s love a good challenge, of course, this post blew up. Thousands of people liked, commented, tagged, and posted this trend all over social media! People responded with their own avocado proposals, as can be seen under the tag #avocadoproposal on Instagram and Twitter:

No one thought this would actually be real (much like the whole “Tide Pod” incident), but it seems it is! To each their own, I suppose! Let us know your take on the avocado trend in the comments!

Sources:

Wida, Erica Chayes. “Yep, People Are Using Avocados to Propose on Instagram.” Today, www.today.com/food/people-are-using-avocados-propose-instagram-t123483.

Barresi, Daniele. Avocado Art.

Dike, Collette. Avocado Proposal

Ferdman, Roberto A. “The Rise of the Avocado, America’s New Favorite Fruit.” The Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/01/22/the-sudden-rise-of-the-avocado-americas-new-favorite-fruit/?utm_term=.7746c1243e6d.