# Mandem in Disguise AI Trend: Turn Your Friends Into the Mandem

> The mandem in disguise trend flips a photo of friends into a squad of masked guys: one quick flash, and every person stands in the same spot in a black balaclava, a black puffer jacket and a tracksuit.

Canonical: https://www.makeviral.ai/templates/mandem-in-disguise-ai-trend
Updated: 2026-10-26
Published: 2026-10-26
Author: MakeViral Team (https://www.makeviral.ai/about)
Publisher: MakeViral (https://www.makeviral.ai)

The **mandem in disguise** trend flips a photo of friends into a squad of masked guys: one quick flash, and every person stands in the same spot in a black balaclava, a black puffer jacket and a tracksuit. The caption tells the joke: "They're not girls, they're mandem in disguise." Upload one group photo, or a photo of just you, and MakeViral makes the flip video.

Your group photo holds for a moment, a camera flash fires, and every one of you is now a masked guy in a black balaclava and puffer jacket, in the same pose and the same place. They're not girls, they're mandem in disguise.

Also called: They're not girls, they're guys, Mandem in disguise football trend, Balaclava group photo trend.

**Make it now:** [Make this video](https://www.makeviral.ai/templates/mandem-in-disguise-ai-trend/create). 1 photo · 10 s · 9:16 with sound · 126 credits, charged once · ready in a few minutes · no prompt to write.

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## What is the Mandem in Disguise trend, and where did it start?

The line comes from an old UK grime track by Skepta: "They're not girls, they're guys, they're mandem in disguise." A TikTok clip of it passed 5.6 million views in August 2023, and its top comment called it the craziest bar of all time. "Mandem" is UK slang for a group of guys, your crew.

In late September 2026 the line became the **mandem in disguise meme**: people put it on anime and cartoon characters who look like girls but are guys. The first post of that wave we found past a million views came on 27 September 2026 (1.9 million), and a lyric clip of the song reached 1.7 million on 30 September. In October football fans took it over, and on 18 October the first AI version we found appeared: a photo of girls in football kits flips into masked guys in black balaclavas and puffer jackets (571,000 views on 19 October). On 25 October, 24 accounts posted how-tos in one day for an AI template that does the flip on any group photo of friends.

US searches for "mandem in disguise" went from 90 in July to 1,300 in September 2026, and #mandemindisguise had 1,272 videos and 14.4 million views on 25 October. The fans are mostly in the UK. This page makes the friends version only: your own photo, no famous players and no club kits.

### Mandem in Disguise trend timeline

- **2023-08-08**: A TikTok clip of an old Skepta grime track with the line "mandem in disguise" reaches 5.6 million views. Source: [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@prodbymai/video/7264739589506583851).
- **2026-09-27**: The line becomes a meme on anime characters who look like girls but are guys: one edit reaches 1.9 million views, the first of the wave past a million that we found. Source: [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@blindfoldedbandit/video/7690183226307906838).
- **2026-09-30**: A lyric clip of the song, posted as "Disguise", reaches 1.7 million views; its sound is the most used one among the trend posts we checked. Source: [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@cerify0/video/7691408623343373590).
- **2026-10-18**: The AI photo flip starts in football fan edits: a photo of girls in football kits flips into masked guys in black balaclavas, and one edit reaches 571,000 views the next day.
- **2026-10-25**: 24 accounts post how-tos in one day for an AI template that flips any group photo of friends; #mandemindisguise has 1,272 videos and 14.4 million views. Source: [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@luna.ai.visuals/video/7700637573055532319).

## What the Mandem in Disguise video looks like

Made from the prompts on this page. The people and pets are AI-made, not real persons, and the sound is original. Your result will differ from run to run.

- **Example 1** (10 s, 9:16 MP4 with sound): Our You version on an AI-made woman: she holds her pose on a city street, a camera flash fires, and the same spot holds a masked guy in a black balaclava and puffer.
  - Video: https://www.makeviral.ai/media/templates/mandem-in-disguise-ai-trend/example-you.mp4
  - Poster: https://www.makeviral.ai/media/templates/mandem-in-disguise-ai-trend/example-you-poster.jpg
  - Input photo: https://www.makeviral.ai/media/templates/mandem-in-disguise-ai-trend/example-you-input.jpg

## How to make the Mandem in Disguise video on MakeViral

Everything runs in the browser. No editing app, no watermark.

### The one-tap way (no prompt to write)

1. **Add your photo.** Press "Make yours" and add your group photo (18+), 2 to 5 friends, faces clear. Take it with the camera or pick it from your library. Start here: https://www.makeviral.ai/templates/mandem-in-disguise-ai-trend/create
2. **Press Generate.** The button shows the price. Seedance 2.5 films the Mandem in Disguise scene straight from your photo, with no in-between picture, for 10 seconds with original sound. You write no prompt.
3. **Download or share.** The video is ready in a few minutes as a 9:16 MP4. Download it, share it from your phone, or find it later in My videos.

### The by-hand way, with the exact prompts

The one-tap flow runs this prompt for you. The video model takes your photo as a reference ([Image 1]) and films the scene straight from it, with no photo step first. AI Video takes one photo as the first frame, so it cannot run this prompt the same way: the prompt is here to read.

#### Variant: Group

Settings: 1 photo (your group photo (18+), 2 to 5 friends, faces clear) · Seedance 2.5 · 10 s · 720p · 9:16 · with sound · 126 credits in one tap.

1. The video prompt is filled in. Settings: Seedance 2.5, 10 s, 720p, 9:16, sound on. The video prompt:

   ```text
   A viral "mandem in disguise" reveal video made from [Image 1], vertical 9:16. Start on the photo. A quick flash, and every person is now a guy in a black balaclava, black puffer and plain black joggers, same pose, same place.

[Image 1] is a group photo of friends. Before the flash, every person is exactly as in [Image 1]: copy the exact face of each person from [Image 1] (the face shape, eye color and eye shape, eyebrows, nose, mouth, skin tone, age, hair color, hair length and hairstyle, and any glasses or freckles), their own clothes, their place in the group and their pose. Never blend their faces: each face stays the same until the flash, so their friends recognize them at once. Keep the place, the background, the light and the framing of [Image 1]; if the photo is wider than 9:16, extend the background naturally.

0-3 s: the photo comes alive: the friends hold their group photo pose, blink, smile and shift a little, as if a friend is taking the picture.
3-3.4 s: a bright white camera flash fills the whole frame.
3.4-10 s: the same place, the same light, the same framing. Every person is now a guy, a grown man of about the same height, in exactly the same spot and the same pose as the person who stood there (a hand on a hip stays on the hip, a crouch stays a crouch). Each one wears a plain black knitted balaclava that covers the whole head and face except one opening for the eyes, a plain black hooded puffer jacket, plain black cotton joggers with no marks at all and plain all-black trainers with no marks. No hair shows. Through the eye opening each one has the eye color, eyebrows and skin tone of the person who stood in that spot. Exactly as many people as in [Image 1]: nobody added, nobody missing. They stay calm and still, as if posing for the same group photo: a slow nod, a straight look into the lens, one tugs at his jacket zip. The camera pushes in slowly.

The disguise is a fashion joke and nothing more: plain black clothes with no logo, no brand mark, no stripes, no crest, no number and no text anywhere. Hands stay empty, relaxed or in the pockets: no weapon, no knife, no bat, no bag, no hand signs, no smoke, no money. Nobody runs, fights, threatens or poses aggressively. Never change anyone's skin tone or ethnicity. Grown adults only. One head per person, five fingers on each hand. No text, no captions, no stickers, no logos, no watermark.
Audio: a camera shutter click and a quick whoosh on the flash, then a deep, slow bass beat. No singing, no speech.
   ```

2. Press Generate, then download the 9:16 MP4.

One-tap version of this variant: https://www.makeviral.ai/templates/mandem-in-disguise-ai-trend/create

#### Variant: You

Settings: 1 photo (your photo (18+), face clear, waist up or full body) · Seedance 2.5 · 10 s · 720p · 9:16 · with sound · 126 credits in one tap.

1. The video prompt is filled in. Settings: Seedance 2.5, 10 s, 720p, 9:16, sound on. The video prompt:

   ```text
   A viral "mandem in disguise" reveal video made from [Image 1], vertical 9:16. Start on the photo. A quick flash, and the person is now a guy in a black balaclava, black puffer and plain black joggers, same pose, same place.

[Image 1] shows one person. Before the flash, the person is exactly as in [Image 1], in every frame: copy the exact face from [Image 1] (the face shape, eye color and eye shape, eyebrows, nose, mouth, skin tone, age, hair color, hair length and hairstyle, and any glasses or freckles), their own clothes and their pose, so their friends recognize them at once. Keep the place, the background, the light and the framing of [Image 1]; if the photo is wider than 9:16, extend the background naturally.

0-3 s: the photo comes alive: the person holds the pose of the photo, blinks, smiles and shifts a little, as if a friend is taking the picture.
3-3.4 s: a bright white camera flash fills the whole frame.
3.4-10 s: the same place, the same light, the same framing. The person is now a guy, a grown man of about the same height, in exactly the same spot and the same pose (a hand on a hip stays on the hip). He wears a plain black knitted balaclava that covers the whole head and face except one opening for the eyes, a plain black hooded puffer jacket, plain black cotton joggers with no marks at all and plain all-black trainers with no marks. No hair shows. Through the eye opening he has the eye color, eyebrows and skin tone of the person in [Image 1]. Exactly one person in the frame: nobody added. He stays calm and still, as if posing for the same photo: a slow nod, a straight look into the lens, a tug at his jacket zip. The camera pushes in slowly.

The disguise is a fashion joke and nothing more: plain black clothes with no logo, no brand mark, no stripes, no crest, no number and no text anywhere. Hands stay empty, relaxed or in the pockets: no weapon, no knife, no bat, no bag, no hand signs, no smoke, no money. Nobody runs, fights, threatens or poses aggressively. Never change anyone's skin tone or ethnicity. Grown adults only. One head per person, five fingers on each hand. No text, no captions, no stickers, no logos, no watermark.
Audio: a camera shutter click and a quick whoosh on the flash, then a deep, slow bass beat. No singing, no speech.
   ```

2. Press Generate, then download the 9:16 MP4.

One-tap version of this variant: https://www.makeviral.ai/templates/mandem-in-disguise-ai-trend/create?variant=you

### Which photo works best?

Use **one group photo** of you and your friends: 2 to 5 people, everyone 18+, faces clear and turned to the camera.

- Full body or from the knees up works best. The pose is what carries over after the flash: hands on hips, a crouch, arms around each other.
- Everyone is recognizable before the flash. After it only the eyes show through the balaclavas, with each person's own eye color and skin tone.
- Good light and a simple place help: the place stays the same before and after.
- **You** takes a photo of just you, the same flip for one.
- Football kits are fine, but crests and logos do not carry over: after the flash everyone wears plain black.
- Only photos of adults who agreed to it. No children, no celebrities, no strangers.

## How many credits does it cost?

You pay per video in credits, and the create page shows the exact price on the Generate button before you spend anything. The one-tap price covers the scene photo and the video, charged once. The cheaper models are there if you run the prompts by hand in AI Video.

| Video model | Settings | Credits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seedance 2.5 (this template) | 10 s, 720p, straight from your photos, one tap | 126 |

Credits come with a plan; see [pricing](https://www.makeviral.ai/pricing). A failed video gives its credits back.

## What the mandem in disguise AI makes

**Group** is the trend as people post it. Your group photo comes alive for three seconds: everyone holds the pose, blinks and smiles, exactly as in your photo. Then a bright camera flash fires, and in the same place, in the same light and in the same poses, every one of you is a guy in a plain black balaclava, a black hooded puffer jacket, black tracksuit bottoms and black trainers. Only the eyes show, with each person's own eye color and skin tone. Nobody is added and nobody goes missing. The masked crew holds still, nods slowly and stares into the lens as the camera pushes in.

**You** does the same flip on a photo of just you. Both versions are 10 seconds, vertical, at 720p, with a camera click, a whoosh on the flash and a deep bass beat. No words and no text in the clip: you add "They're not girls, they're mandem in disguise" as your caption, or the song on TikTok.

The disguise is a fashion joke, nothing more: plain black clothes with no logos, empty hands, calm poses. The mandem in disguise ai video is made straight from your photo with top-quality AI video models, including Seedance 2.5, so the faces before the flash stay yours. The price shows on the create page before you start.

## Mandem in disguise meaning, the song and the football edits

What does mandem in disguise mean? "Mandem" is UK slang for a group of guys, so the **mandem in disguise meaning** is simple: the girls in the photo were the mandem all along. The **mandem in disguise song** is an old grime track by Skepta; TikTok posts call it "Disguise", and the lyric "they're not girls, they're guys" sits right before the punchline. People first used it on anime characters (the mandem in disguise anime edits), then on football teams. The **mandem in disguise football** edits put AI-made girl versions of famous players in club kits and flip them into masked guys. This page makes the friends version: the mandem in disguise girls flip on your own group photo, with no famous faces and no club kits. Some people spell it "madam in disguise": it is the same trend.

## How to do the mandem in disguise trend

1. Pick **Group** and upload one group photo of your friends (or **You** and a photo of just you).
2. Start the run and wait a few minutes.
3. Post the video on TikTok with the caption "They're not girls..." and the reveal line, and add the trend's sound if you like.

That is the whole **mandem in disguise tutorial**: no phone-editor template, no mandem in disguise capcut steps and no prompt to write. This mandem in disguise filter makes a finished mandem in disguise edit you can post anywhere, on TikTok or on Reels.

| What goes wrong | Fix |
|---|---|
| A face before the flash does not look right | Use a sharp photo with every face to the camera, in good light. Every run is a new take. |
| One person is missing or extra after the flash | Use a photo where everyone is fully in the frame, not cut off at the edge. |
| A pose changed after the flash | Run it again: full-body photos keep the pose best. |
| A run fails | The credits come back. Try another photo. |

## Mandem in Disguise trend questions

### What is the mandem in disguise trend?

It is a TikTok trend where a photo of friends, often girls, flips with a quick flash into masked guys in black balaclavas and puffer jackets, in the same pose and the same place. The caption is the line "They're not girls, they're mandem in disguise." It went viral in the UK in October 2026, and mandem in disguise TikTok posts now run from anime edits to football teams to groups of friends.

### What does mandem mean?

Mandem is UK slang for a group of guys, your crew or your friends. That is the whole mandem meaning in the trend: the girls in the photo were secretly the mandem.

### What is the mandem in disguise song?

It is a line from an old grime track by Skepta. On TikTok the sound is often posted as "Disguise". Our video has its own bass beat and no words, so you can add the song on TikTok when you post.

### How do I do the mandem in disguise trend?

Pick Group, upload one group photo and start. MakeViral makes the 10-second flip video in your browser. Then post it with the caption "They're not girls, they're mandem in disguise". That is how to do mandem in disguise trend posts without an editing app.

### Is this the mandem in disguise template from TikTok?

The look is the same: your photo, a flash, and the masked crew in the same poses. On TikTok it comes from a phone-editor template. Here you get a finished clip with no template text, ready to post with your own caption.

### Do I need a mandem in disguise ai prompt?

No. The prompt is built in: it keeps everyone's face before the flash, then puts each person in a plain black balaclava, puffer jacket and tracksuit in the same spot and pose. You only add the photo.

### Can I make the football version with famous players?

No. We do not use real players, club crests or kit logos. You can use a photo of your own team in your kits: after the flash everyone wears plain black, with no badge or logo.

### Can I use a photo of kids or celebrities?

No. Use a photo of yourself and adults (18+) who agreed to it. We do not make this video of children, celebrities or strangers.

## Other AI video templates and tools

- [Gender Swap Filter: Meet Your Opposite Gender Self](https://www.makeviral.ai/templates/gender-swap-ai-filter): Your selfie holds for a moment, a line sweeps across it, and the other-gender you looks back with a small smile. Same eyes, same skin, same background. Would you date them?
- [White Chicks Car Scene AI: Sing A Thousand Miles With a Friend](https://www.makeviral.ai/templates/white-chicks-ai-trend): One of you drives at night and belts out the song with full emotion. The other holds a tiny dog and gets more and more annoyed. Put your two faces in the car, or your pet at the wheel.
- [Pray For Me Trend AI: The Slow Mo Dance and Run, From Your Photos](https://www.makeviral.ai/templates/pray-for-me-slow-mo-ai-trend): Add one photo and you do the pray for me slow mo dance in a bright room, with the song. Add two or three photos and your crew does the slow mo run past the camera, one by one.
- [AI photo generator](https://www.makeviral.ai/ai-photo-generator)
- [All AI video templates](https://www.makeviral.ai/templates)

## Make your own Mandem in Disguise video

Add one photo and press Generate. No prompt to write. 126 credits, charged once.

[Make this video](https://www.makeviral.ai/templates/mandem-in-disguise-ai-trend/create)