Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia tour is now in full swing, so I wasn’t surprised to see Dua content making its way onto my TikTok page. I like her. Her music is catchy, and the 90s pop vibe is perfect for a workout playlist. The disco, lights, and sparkle in the concert videos reflect the same energy as her music. 

@xxdualipafanpage

Don’t start now my fav song on the FN tour #dualipa #dualipalive #dualipavideo #dualipalevitating #dualipachallenge #dualipafanpage

♬ original sound - XxDualipafanpage
 

While there was lots of fun concert content being shared by fans, the thing that caught my eye the most was THE “One Kiss” dance. And the best part about this is that she knows exactly what she’s doing. 

For those who don’t know, the “One Kiss” dance made Dua Lipa a meme, and it wasn’t one of the fun ones. The hip bopping movement started to gain traction online from her performance routine of her hit “One Kiss” in 2018.

 

 

Twitter did its thing, and it became part of Dua’s online reputation. She was being clowned for not knowing how to dance. As we all know from her radio hits, all of her music is supposed to be dance music…so maybe a bit awkward? And of course it didn’t just stop there, because people started tweeting about how she doesn’t have good stage presence and is a boring performer in general. I remember a similar thing happening to Ariana Grande when she changed her brand and started dancing in her performances. Ariana’s situation had to do with the fact that she was transitioning from Nickelodeon to a more mature vibe, and people were having a hard time adjusting. But Ariana proved those people wrong and eventually finetuned her stage presence. While Dua has been showing the world she has improved over the years, I think her decision to give a shoutout to this specific meme is a great step in closing that “can’t dance” chapter. 

Like? What a BOSS move. And did you see that shrug? The smile? This is a great example of being a good pop culture player. Here’s a side-by-side comparison just so you can have the full effect.

 

One the right side, Dua is just doing the move. On the left, Dua owns the move. I also love how her outfit is elevated in the updated version because it’s the cherry on top of who Dua is now. She is a human being with human feelings, so there's no doubt that she felt crappy seeing the jokes online—especially if it takes her credibility away as a pop performer. But instead of letting that get her down, she turned the situation around and gave everyone something else to talk about. It’s the age-old practice of laughing with the haters so they start to laugh with you instead of at you. And it worked because social media loves a redemption story. There’s also the obvious fact that she has gotten better at her craft over the years from practice, so it’s nice to see the growth. It’s also a testament to how powerful memes are in pop culture, because here we are talking about how Dua is clearing her name in meme court. Now, nobody can say she can’t dance, and on top of that, she’s won people over for being a good sport. And that, folks, is how you reclaim a meme with perfect form. 

@popcelebs

glow-up queen #dualipa #grammys #viral #fyp #foryoupage #foryou

♬ Levitating - Dua Lipa