What Does the Pillow Behind the Headboard Mean?

If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok, you may have stumbled on a potentially confusing meme regarding pillows and headboards. In fact, maybe you’ve stumbled on a pillow behind a headboard IRL and Google isn’t giving you any answers that make sense. We’ve got you covered. The answer will surprise you!

What Does a Headboard Pillow Mean?

On TikTok, a pillow behind a headboard means that the person is sexually active. The pillow is placed behind the headboard as a buffer so the headboard doesn't bang against the wall when they’re doing the deed.

Section 1 of 6:

Pillow Behind Headboard Meaning

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Supposedly, it’s meant to stop banging noises during sex. Let’s say you’re engaged in some…intimate activity. If things get too hot and heavy, that headboard might start flying back and forth into the wall. That could create quite a noticeable ruckus. If you live with your parents or roommates, it makes sense that you’d want to keep the sexy time noises to a minimum.
- Neighbors are also likely to notice the repetitive tapping if you live in an apartment building.

Section 2 of 6:

Why TikTok Users Got Invested

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A lot of TikTokers noticed pillows in the background of other videos. TikTokers spotted weird pillows tucked behind the headboards of popular content creators and the speculation went off the rails. It was especially funny because older content creators on TikTok picked up on what was happening right away. They started meming on the trend by joking about how they used to do the same thing!
- You remember that time Mark Zuckerberg tried to be relatable by livestreaming a cookout and the internet noticed that Zuckerberg had put a random bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce in the background? That’s kind of what happened here.

Section 3 of 6:

Alternative Explanations for a Headboard Pillow

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Sometimes, you wake up in the middle of the night and you just need an extra pillow. Instead of searching through a mountain of crumpled-up sheets, pets, and wayward limbs, you can just snatch the pillow you’ve intelligently stashed behind the headboard!
Look, some headboards are just crazy loud. It’s totally reasonable to throw an old pillow behind the headboard to keep it from squeaking every time you move in your sleep or get in/out of bed.^{[1]
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A lot of bed frames and headboards make a little bit of noise when you get out of bed. If you sleep with a partner who happens to be a light sleeper, a pillow behind the headboard could help to cut down on the noise when one person gets up.
You’d be surprised by how many people sleep with something over their eyes. While a lot of people like using a sleep mask, there is a sizable chunk of people out there who just use a pillow. For those folks, the headboard is a perfectly reasonable spot to stash your special eye pillow.
One user, @truulyjen, explained that she uses a headboard pillow to deter spiders. We hadn’t thought about it before, but that logic kind of makes sense. Spiders don’t typically fight their way through pillows to get to their sleeping victims. Still, we’d recommend some more proven methods if you’re worried about sleep spiders.

Section 4 of 6:

Tips on Minimizing Headboard Noise

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The “our headboard makes noise during sex” problem is so universal that there are actually products designed specifically to deal with this issue. Buy some headboard stoppers and install them on the back of your headboard. Not only will the noise stop, but you won’t have to worry about the headboard moving or damaging your wall.
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Tighten all of the joints in your bed frame. It’s extremely normal for bed frames to kind of loosen up over the years as your bed gets used. Take a little bit of time to remove your mattress and tighten everything. Use a hex key or screwdriver to check every single fastener to ensure they’re tight.^{[2]
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- Headboards are not normally the problem on their own. Headboards are normally just one big piece, so if it’s banging against the wall, it’s your bed frame’s fault—not the headboard. Check the joints where the headboard meets the frame!
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Fill in gaps between your headboard with felt tape. A lot of beds are designed in a way where there is a tiny gap between the headboard and the frame. This is designed so that there isn’t a ton of stress on the wood where the joints meet. Unfortunately, that design can cause a lot of noise when you use the bed for anything other than sitting still. Fill in the gaps with felt tape to reduce the overall amount of noise.^{[3]
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- If you still hear noise, fill in the other gaps, too. There may be other gaps in your bedframe’s design contributing to the noise.
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Switch up your sexy-time positions to minimize noise. Edge-of-the-bed doggy-style or standing up are both great ways to get it on without requiring very much bed movement. If you’re staying entirely on the bed, spooning is probably the best position for keeping things quiet.^{[4]
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- If you do want to go hard but worry about waking people up, consider just moving all of the sheets to the floor and avoiding the bed entirely.

Section 5 of 6:

Pillow Behind the Headboard Memes

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Given the nature of the pillow’s reason for existing, the internet found some phenomenal meme material here. Here are some of our favorites:
- @king.sapara makes a stunning discovery.
- @deco2ta finds a reason to throw on some Nelly.
- The US Military Police posting their “only legends will understand” meme.
- @nadiabartlett brings a nightmarish pillow face to life.

Section 6 of 6:

Final Thoughts

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The pillow/headboard thing is a joke about loud sex. People have been stuffing pillows behind headboards when they get busy for centuries now. It has just been recently revitalized as TikTokers picked up on the practice by spotting random pillows in the backgrounds of videos.