What even is a “Luh calm fit”? Fashion’s new favourite meme explained

Racking up over 200m views on TikTok alone, this AI bird is fashion's latest obsession.

Memes are just getting stranger and stranger by the day. Scrolling through your Instagram Reels or FYP is often just a clusterfuck of chaotic content (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing) that doesn’t really make much sense – and it’s not supposed to either. The latest taking the internet by storm is just as absurd as you’d expect. Introducing the king of “Luh calm fits”: Erosion Bird (FKA Opium Bird).

For the unaware, Erosion Bird is basically just an AI-generated image of a giant bird-like creature posted up on snow-covered mountains. The meme started to pick up traction on TikTok in late September after a user named @Dre uploaded a video featuring the birds, stating they were discovered in an Antarctic mountain range (Obviously, no one believed it). The clip racked up 1.2m views and 300,000 likes in two weeks, and thus, the lore of the Erosion Bird began.

Eventually, users started to create similar AI art featuring the feathered creature. Users began referring to it as Opium Bird in reference to the Opium record label because of its fur coat resembling the aesthetic of rappers on the label. Well, it’s quite the fitting name: the birds do look incredibly fly and wouldn’t be out of place on a Rick Owens runway.

Due to the bird’s fire fit, fashion fans began flooding the comments of videos depicting the bird. “Luh calm fit, one may call it ambiguously lavish or grotesque, but I simply call it tranquil with a bit of mischievousness, things of that nature,” one user said, describing the bird’s style better than I ever could. “Luh calm fit, nun too absurd,” adds another. “Luh calm fit, nun too absurd,” a third says.

The phrase “Luh calm fit” refers to an outfit that took low effort to achieve a good style. You know, when you wake up, dig through your wardrobe, throw whatever on and still look good as hell – that’s the essence of a Luh calm fit. Since Erosion Bird’s takeover, the #luhcalmfit has now racked up over 270m views over the last month, while #erosionbird has clocked in over 230m.

Unsurprisingly, FashionTok has been putting their own spin on the trend, putting together their own Erosion Bird-inspired fits – and the results are pretty impressive. Instagram user @yungalyy’s avante-garde recreation racked up over 2m views, pulling off an all-white oversized fit complete with frost-covered glasses and topped off by some white sheets. Be right back; just adding this to my list of potential Halloween costumes. 

On the other hand, @j0tanhan takes a more memeified approach. Again, the all-white is there, but this time the silky sheets are replaced by a musty-looking quilt, and the finishing touch that brings it all together is a pair of Chelsea boots attached to the face to mimic a beak. Quite creative, no?

While Erosion Bird’s time as a meme will come to an end sooner rather than later, the spirit of the “Calm luh fit” will live long in the memory. And who knows? Maybe you’ll spot a few of these stylish feathery fellows this Halloween.

WriterChris Saunders
Banner Image CreditReddit @koreahotdog