Michigan Beaches Are Not Real? TikTok Clip Goes Viral

Have we been wrong this whole time?

If so, that's news to me! A viral Tiktok video has sparked a heated debate among Michiganders and beach-goers across the nation who are wondering:

Get our free mobile app

What's the true definition of a beach?

When Tiktok user @Jenni.Maha's video came across my feed I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Jenni, who clearly feels very passionately about the Great Lakes, was describing an interaction with a new resident who has only been in our lovely state for a few weeks.

The transplant in question was curious to know why Jenni referred to Michigan's sandy coastline as "beaches" when they don't technically touch the ocean:

She's like 'There's no ocean that means they're not beaches'....we decided not to be friends, so...

So, what makes a beach a beach then?

Jenni claims that after a quick search she's learned technically Michigan's beaches are "metroparks" but I don't believe that's exactly true. While bigger cities like Detroit maintain a regional systems of parks, some with water access, which are referred to as metroparks that's not quite the same as a beach.

According to Google's Oxford Languages a beach is defined as,

a strip of land covered with sand, pebbles, or small stones at the edge of a body of water, especially by the ocean between high- and low-water marks

So, technically the beaches of the Great Lakes fit that definition as it doesn't exclude lakes. Here's what fiery Michiganders had to say in the comments section:

• "That girl obviously hasn't visited a Lake Michigan beach." - Julie's Husband
• "They’re still beaches lol metro parks aren’t a landform, they’re a political boundary on a map" - Kaitdashian
• "The Great Lakes aren't lakes - they're inland seas and DO have beaches." - Angel

In the end, Jenni says she blocked this person who dared question the legitimacy of Michigan's beaches-- and I think that's for the best.