It is an ancient Greek custom to break plates and vases at weddings and other special events as a sign of joy and lasting years.  More recently, due to the popularity of TikTok, breaking plates has a whole new meaning.

The “Letting Go Plates” trend started amidst the pandemic.  It is a new way to get rid of frustration, anger and anxiety as well as letting go of the past.  People write down words, poems, memories, stories, etc., all of which have meaning that they want to leave behind and smash the plate when ready.

After being given an assignment through a marketing strategy class on planning an event or selling a product then advertising it, classmates Alyssa Lawler, Dylan Hayen and Miranda Stambaugh brought this new trend to campus.

Outside of Maucker Union on Tuesday, April 13, they hosted the event and invited faculty and students to smash away the stress.

They said that this event was a perfect opportunity to get frustrations about school, COVID-19 or any other areas in your life that might stress you out.

There were a total of 20 participants and almost all had written down COVID-19 as a part of a stress they wanted to break and release from.

“All three of us are seniors and we felt that our senior year wasn’t taken, but it was changed and it was a good way to take out that frustration,” said Lawler.

The group wanted to allow students to get involved for an in-person event and let out whatever emotions they needed. 

Lawler stated that they wanted it to be around midterms and finals to give students a chance to take a break from the studying, projects and academic stress to enjoy a fun activity.

“From what we saw on TikTok and everywhere else, this was really a symbol to let go of problems people have been facing in 2020 and 2021,” Lawler said.

Since the pandemic has started and school has turned more virtual instead of in-person, there has also been a drop in regular social activities too.  More students have become frustrated with this, and Stambaugh wanted to make a change through their class project.

“With everything on Zoom and doing more screen time than we ever have before, I think that plays into stress and mental help. Being able to host something on campus was nice,” Stambaugh said.