The man vs bear conversation has officially reached its final form on TikTok, where users have moved on from sharing stark examples to giggling at the non-threatening actions of nature’s fuzzy forest dwellers.
In the wrong circumstance, a bear is absolutely terrifying. That’s a major point in the man vs bear discussion, which uses a frightening and potentially deadly alternative to underpin precisely how much fear and anxiety many women associate with men. Plenty of people are missing that point, of course, but it stands none-the-less.
Bears aren’t perpetual killing machines, however, and in fact many bears are entirely harmless to the people who may catch a glimpse. Don’t go trying to give one a hug, but plenty of people have had run-ins with dangerous species of bear and walked away unscathed.
Take TikToker Jen Smit, who goes by @jenn.rose0 on the platform, and recently stumbled across a bear in the midst of an entirely safe — if not entirely innocent — activity that once again reinforces why women choose the bear. Soundtracked flawlessly by Rae Sremmurd’s timeless “Come Get Her,” the clip shows a nonchalant bear rubbing its back along a street sign, putting on an unmatched show for passersby.
The confident dancer featured in the video appears to be a black bear, among the least aggressive bear species out there. Black bears are, for the most part, content to climb trees, track down food, and apparently put on a little show from time to time. They tend to be skittish, and would far prefer to give humans a wide berth where possible.
Unless, of course, they’re stirring up an audience, like Ms. Thang over in South Dakota. She certainly caught the attention of passersby with her little show, and it seems everyone made it out the other side satisfied. Viewers, for catching such a delightful glimpse of a wild animal engaging in a near-human activity, and our leading lady for getting a good scritch and some new fans all at once.
