Tonga's oiled-up Olympic flag bearer is once again showing us how to be our best selves.
Yes, he's hot — but it's his spirit that's lit.
Tonga's oiled-up, shirtless flag bearer once again captured the world's adoring gaze during the Olympics opening ceremonies — this time, in frigid winter weather.
"I won't freeze. I am from Tonga. We sailed across the Pacific. This is nothing," Pita Taufatofua told the Olympics' news service. "It's a little bit warmer being in Rio than in here ... but anytime you get to represent your country is a good time."
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images.
Taufatofua, 34, became a viral sensation during the 2016 Summer Olympics, and he's doing it all over again. This time, audiences are in awe of his commitment to bearing the 32-degree weather in Pyeongchang — without the benefit of a shirt or pants.
Fans from all over the world took to Twitter to root for Taufatofua and the country he represents.
Taufatofua is, in fact, the ONLY representative for Tonga — and he had to learn a completely new sport just to compete.
Since Tonga is an island country, its Winter Olympic representation has been understandably sparse. But Taufatofua, who competed in taekwondo during the Rio Olympics, had his heart set on competing in 2018. To qualify for the Pyeongchang Games, he learned cross-country skiing in just a year, all while living in a nation where it actually doesn't snow. He said he'd never even seen snow until two years ago.
"It's the hardest thing I've ever done," he said about the sport.
But, inspiringly, all his training paid off — Taufatofua has become just the second athlete from Tonga to ever qualify for the Winter Olympics.
While U.S. athletes debate who should have carried their country's flag, Taufatofua is just happy to be here.
Tonga's inspiring story contrasts with a controversy surrounding the U.S. flag bearer. Gold-winning speed skater Shani Davis skipped the ceremony after saying he was unfairly passed over in favor of luge competitor Erin Hamlin during a tie-breaking coin toss.
Meanwhile, Taufatofua is continuing to promote the message of life-changing inspiration that has made him more than just a pretty face to millions of fans around the globe.
The Olympics are about global unity. And nothing fosters harmony like an inspiring story of overcoming adversity ... and perfectly shined pecs.
In the rush to collect gold medals, it's easy to forget the games were created to foster peace and unity amongst the world's nations. Even as we marvel at his impressive physique, it's good to be reminded of Taufatofua's bigger message: "It's just an honour. I mean, how many countries in the Pacific get to go to a Winter Games?"
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."