A woman's epic divorce cake has gone viral, with TikTok users dubbing the new divorcee "the smoothest."
After a two-and-a-half-year battle, Chriselle Lim's divorce was finally settled. So, the 38-year-old fashion and beauty influencer decided to celebrate in style.
"I always knew that once the divorce was finalized I would get all the people who helped me through this process and celebrate together," Lim told Newsweek.
"Just like any other celebration—marriage, graduation, birthdays, the birth of a child... it's the coming together to celebrate the 'new life' or 'new chapter' in our lives."
Lim separated from her ex-husband Allen Chen in 2021 after nine years of marriage. The pair share two daughters, Chloe Victoria Chen, 8, and Collette Cali Chen, 4.
"Making the decision to divorce is never easy," Lim said. "Most women mourn the marriage before actually getting a divorce and I was no different."
Lim tried to make her marriage work but felt as though she was "betraying" herself by staying in the relationship.
"The divorce process in itself is never a pleasant one," Lim said. "There are many days where you are asking yourself 'How did I get here?' It will provoke you and it will test your patience.
"I realized that you have to be able to live your life and find your sense of freedom, peace, and happiness along the way while you are going through this process."
Although Lim and Chen are now on good terms, untangling their shared life wasn't easy and learning to co-parent their daughters "didn't come naturally."
"Besides the fact that it is an extremely emotional process, it was also an eye opener on so many levels—all the legalities that go into a marriage and also the financial aspect that no one really talks about," Lim said.
"Because the girls are our most important priority in our lives, we put our egos aside and we do what's best for them."
Lim wants others going through a divorce to know that the sense of relief is "absolutely worth the hell you are about to go through."
"It is the end of an era but also the beginning of a new era—why wouldn't we celebrate that?" she said.
Lim's divorce was finalized on 26 July, so her best friends and team surprised her with a customized cake at a local restaurant. Adorned with strawberries, cream and a single candle, the cake reads "I do, I did, I'm done, I'M FREE!!"
"It was delicious, although I only took a bite since I'm lactose intolerant," Lim said.
She shared a clip of herself with her divorce cake to her TikTok account (@chrisellelim), where it quickly went viral. In the footage, Lim grabs the lit candle from the top of the cake and pretends to smoke it like a cigarette, with the video receiving almost 13 million views and over 1 million likes.
"This is so bada**," commented Ask Kimberly.
"The smoothest," agreed hnicholsillustration.
"Slay queen," said Ashley Zito.
"My idol," wrote gmcnall.
"The dawn of your best self era," said newmanparkerr.
"This is the energy I need," commented Jac Clark | Just For Fun.
"A Phoenix rises from the ashes," said Fromtyewithlove, while anna banana wrote: "That's the coolest way I've ever seen someone blow out a candle."
Newsweek's "What Should I Do?" offers expert advice to readers. If you have a personal dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice on relationships, family, friends, money and work and your story could be featured on WSID at Newsweek.
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