You’ve seen it. That grainy, low-quality video of a barber or a stylist about to take a pair of scissors—or sometimes just their bare hands—to a head of hair that looks like it’s seen better days. Then comes the sound. A high-pitched, distorted voice asks the million-dollar question: "Is they cutting?" Honestly, it’s one of those things that shouldn't be funny, but at 2 AM, it’s the funniest thing on the internet.
The is they cutting meme isn't just about bad haircuts. It’s a vibe. It’s about that specific, chaotic energy that happens when someone is doing something they clearly aren't qualified to do, yet they’re doing it with the confidence of a seasoned pro. We’ve all been there. Maybe you tried to fix your own sink or bake a sourdough starter during the 2020 lockdowns and ended up with a brick. That’s the "is they cutting" energy in a nutshell.
Where the Hell Did "Is They Cutting" Even Come From?
Tracing meme origins is like trying to find the source of a river in a storm. Things move fast. But most internet historians point back to specific TikTok accounts that specialize in "cursed" or "struggle" hair videos. The phrase itself is a piece of vernacular that has been pitched up and distorted through filters until it sounds like a mischievous elf is narrating a disaster. It’s part of a broader trend of "hood irony" and "21st-century humor" where the joke is the lack of context and the sheer absurdity of the visual.
People love a car crash. We can’t look away. When you see a video titled with the is they cutting meme, you know exactly what’s coming: a total lack of technique. It usually features a barber using a literal kitchen knife or someone’s "unc" getting a fade that looks more like a topographical map of the Himalayas. The grammar is intentionally broken. "Is they" instead of "Are they" adds that layer of digital shitposting that makes it feel authentic to the platform.
The sound itself—that squeaky, repetitive audio—is what really pushed it over the edge. It acts as a Pavlovian trigger. You hear those three words and your brain immediately prepares for a visual of someone getting their hairline pushed back to 1995.
Why This Specific Nonsense Works So Well
It’s simple.
Relatability is the engine of the internet, but shared trauma is the fuel. Everyone has had a bad haircut. Everyone has sat in a chair, looked in the mirror, and realized their life was about to change for the worse for the next three weeks. The is they cutting meme taps into that universal anxiety. But it does it by turning the person in the chair into a sacrificial lamb for our entertainment.
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The meme also thrives on the "Low Quality = High Comedy" rule. If these videos were filmed in 4K on an iPhone 15 Pro, they wouldn't be funny. They’d just be sad. But when the pixels are so chunky you can count them? When the lighting is a single flickering bulb in a garage? That’s gold. It feels "real" in a way that polished content doesn't.
The Layers of Irony
There’s a specific brand of humor here that older generations might struggle with. It’s not a setup-punchline format. It’s "post-ironic." You aren't just laughing at the bad haircut; you’re laughing at the fact that someone recorded it, someone edited it with a chipmunk voice, and 500,000 people liked it. It’s a meta-commentary on how we consume content. We’re basically just staring at digital trash and nodding in agreement.
The Cultural Impact of the "Is They Cutting" Meme
Beyond the laughs, this meme has actually influenced how creators think about "viral" sounds. It’s a prime example of "sound-first" content. You don’t need a high budget. You don’t even need a script. You just need a visual that matches the chaotic energy of the audio.
Barbers on TikTok have even started using the sound to show off their actual skills, playing it over a video of a messy head of hair before transitioning to a sharp, clean cut. It’s a "glow-up" subversion of the original joke. They’re basically saying, "Yes, they are cutting, and they’re doing it right." This keeps the meme alive because it moves from being a joke about failure to a template for success.
But let's be real—the versions where they fail are better.
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Variations and Spin-offs
Memes are like viruses; they mutate. The is they cutting meme has branched out into other industries. You’ll see "is they cooking?" for questionable kitchen experiments or "is they building?" for DIY construction projects that look like they’ll collapse if someone sneezes. The linguistic structure is the hook. It’s a modular meme. You can swap out the verb for anything that looks suspicious.
What This Says About Our Attention Spans
We’re cooked. Truly.
If we’re spending hours scrolling through videos of people getting botched tapers, what does that say about us? It says we value brevity and shock over everything else. The "is they cutting" clip is usually less than seven seconds long. In that time, it delivers a question, a visual shock, and a punchline. It’s the perfect hit of dopamine for a brain that’s been fried by endless scrolling.
It also highlights the "UGC" (User Generated Content) gold rush. Everyone wants to find the next "is they cutting" sound. Creators are actively looking for the most bizarre, unpolished footage they can find, hoping it’ll be the next sound bite that everyone from 14-year-olds in Ohio to marketing interns at Wendy's starts using.
How to Spot a Genuine "Is They Cutting" Moment
If you want to participate or just understand the nuances, you have to look for the "Uncanny Valley" of hair. It shouldn't just be a short haircut. It has to look like the barber is actively confused by the concept of a head.
- The Tool: Are they using actual clippers? If yes, are the clippers held together by duct tape?
- The Environment: Is there a child crying in the background? Is there a random dog walking through the frame?
- The Client: Does the person in the chair look like they’ve accepted their fate? A thousand-yard stare is mandatory.
When all these elements align, you don't even need the audio. You can feel the "is they cutting" energy radiating off the screen.
Avoiding Your Own "Is They Cutting" Disaster
While the meme is hilarious to watch, you don’t want to be the subject of it. Real talk. Hair is important. If you’re looking to get a cut that won't end up on a struggle-hair compilation, there are actual steps you should take. Don't just walk into the first place with a spinning pole outside.
Research your barber. Look at their Instagram, but don't just look at their "best" work. Look for tagged photos. See what their clients actually look like when they leave the shop and the ring light is turned off. If every photo has a heavy filter or "enhancements" (that spray-on hair stuff), be wary. You might be walking into an "is they cutting" situation.
Ask the Right Questions
Don't just say "give me a fade." Be specific. If they seem hesitant or if they start "freestyling" without asking you first, that’s your cue to leave. Trust your gut. If the scissors look like they belong in a craft drawer, get out of there.
The Future of "Is They Cutting"
Will this meme last forever? No. Nothing does. By next month, we’ll probably be laughing at a sound of a vacuum cleaner that sounds like it’s saying "is they cleaning?" but for now, it’s the king of the niche. It represents a specific moment in digital culture where we’ve moved past polished influencers and back into the raw, weird, and slightly uncomfortable reality of everyday life.
It reminds us that the internet is at its best when it's weird. When it’s not trying to sell us a $500 skincare routine but is instead showing us a guy getting his bangs trimmed with a weed whacker.
Actionable Next Steps for the Meme-Obsessed
If you’re a creator, don't try too hard to "force" a meme like this. The magic of the is they cutting meme is its accidental nature. It wasn't a planned marketing campaign. It was a weird video that someone found and added a weird sound to.
If you’re a consumer, just enjoy the ride. But maybe check the reviews before you book your next haircut.
To stay ahead of these trends, keep an eye on the "Recently Added" sounds on TikTok rather than the "Trending" tab. By the time a sound hits the Trending tab, it’s already on its way out. The real gems are buried in the comments sections of obscure "hood irony" pages. Look for the creators who are posting 10 times a day with zero context. That’s where the next "is they cutting" is currently being born.
Also, if you do find yourself in a barber chair and you see someone pull out a phone to record you with a specific, mischievous glint in their eye—run. You're about to become a 144p legend for all the wrong reasons. There is no coming back from a "is they cutting" feature. Your hairline will recover, but the digital footprint is forever.
Check your local barber's portfolio for "no-filter" shots before booking. Use the "Explore" feature on Instagram to see photos your barber has been tagged in, which are often more honest than their curated feed. If you’re a creator, experiment with high-contrast, low-resolution filters to mimic the "cursed" aesthetic that makes these memes go viral.