US woman lists biggest surprises living in Australia in TikTok video

An American woman has revealed her initial shock when she was handed a tampon after moving to her new home in Australia.

An American woman living in Australia said our unfamiliar tampons and the prevalence of mullet hairstyles were among the biggest culture shocks she’s experienced since moving here.

Kaymie Wuerfel left her home in Clearwater, Florida for Sydney at the end of 2019 to be with her Australian husband.

About 18 months later, she’s much better adjusted to Aussie life – but in a new TikTok video, she reveals two of the things that triggered her biggest culture shocks.

One of those things is the mullet – the short-on-top, long-at-the-back haircut that fell out of fashion decades ago but continues to hold iconic status in Australia.

In the video, which is set to the patriotic soundtrack of Men at Work’s Down Under, Ms Wuerfel re-enacts the first time she spotted a mullet in the Australian wild.

@kayywuerf

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♬ Down Under - Men At Work

“Did you see that guy’s haircut? He can’t be serious,” she says, recalling her initial reaction.

Elsewhere in the video, she re-enacts her bemusement at her first encounter with a local tampon.

Unlike in America, tampons in Australia are not packaged with an applicator, leaving Ms Wuerfel confused about what exactly to do with it.

Other people in the comments were also struck by how different the American and Australian hygiene products were.

“OMG when I started using tampons I always wondered why the ones on US TV shows were so long,” someone commented.

“Well how do you use Australian tampons?” a confused person who is not from around here commented.

Kaymie Wuerfel was baffled by the sight of a legendary Aussie mullet. Picture: @kayywuerf

The Aussie tampon was missing a ‘thingy’ – the American applicator. Picture: @kayywuerf

But Ms Wuerfel’s video mostly kickstarted a feverish debate in the comments section about the attractiveness of the mullet.

“Do not normalise the mullet,” someone wrote.

“As an Aussie, I genuinely can’t stand mullets either. So embarrassing,” someone else said.

Another Aussie said: “The mullet should go back to the ’80s where it should be burnt.”

“Am I the only Australian who hates mullets?” someone else wrote.

“I’m from Canada living in Australia and I can’t get over how many mullet there are here!” another expat said.

Kaymie Wuerfel moved from the US to Australia in late 2019. Picture: @kaymiewuerfel

The video is the latest in a TikTok series by Ms Wuerfel as she encounters cultural differences between Australia and her native USA.

In a previous video, the schoolteacher revealed her shock at the “no hat, no play” policy, which has been a tough reality of Australian schoolchildren for generations.

She also said she was confused by what we call “swimsuits”, including the words togs, bathers and cossies.

Ms Wuerfel has also revealed her shock at how weak Wi-Fi is in Australia, but professed her love for her new favourite seasoning, chicken salt.