diff --git a/app/soapbox/components/scrollable_list.js b/app/soapbox/components/scrollable_list.js
index 3576960db..0e6c1991b 100644
--- a/app/soapbox/components/scrollable_list.js
+++ b/app/soapbox/components/scrollable_list.js
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ export default class ScrollableList extends PureComponent {
     children: PropTypes.node,
     onScrollToTop: PropTypes.func,
     onScroll: PropTypes.func,
+    placeholderComponent: PropTypes.node,
+    placeholderCount: PropTypes.number,
   };
 
   state = {
@@ -222,7 +224,13 @@ export default class ScrollableList extends PureComponent {
   }
 
   renderLoading = () => {
-    const { prepend } = this.props;
+    const { prepend, placeholderComponent: Placeholder, placeholderCount } = this.props;
+
+    if (Placeholder && placeholderCount > 0) {
+      return Array(placeholderCount).fill().map((_, i) => (
+        <Placeholder key={i} />
+      ));
+    }
 
     return (
       <div className='slist slist--flex'>
diff --git a/app/soapbox/components/status_list.js b/app/soapbox/components/status_list.js
index f5808a648..a186a8073 100644
--- a/app/soapbox/components/status_list.js
+++ b/app/soapbox/components/status_list.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import ImmutablePureComponent from 'react-immutable-pure-component';
 import LoadGap from './load_gap';
 import ScrollableList from './scrollable_list';
 import TimelineQueueButtonHeader from './timeline_queue_button_header';
+import PlaceholderMaterialStatus from 'soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_material_status';
 
 const messages = defineMessages({
   queue: { id: 'status_list.queue_label', defaultMessage: 'Click to see {count} new {count, plural, one {post} other {posts}}' },
@@ -213,7 +214,16 @@ export default class StatusList extends ImmutablePureComponent {
         count={totalQueuedItemsCount}
         message={messages.queue}
       />,
-      <ScrollableList key='scrollable-list' {...other} isLoading={isLoading} showLoading={isLoading && statusIds.size === 0} onLoadMore={onLoadMore && this.handleLoadOlder} ref={this.setRef}>
+      <ScrollableList
+        key='scrollable-list'
+        isLoading={isLoading}
+        showLoading={isLoading && statusIds.size === 0}
+        onLoadMore={onLoadMore && this.handleLoadOlder}
+        placeholderComponent={PlaceholderMaterialStatus}
+        placeholderCount={20}
+        ref={this.setRef}
+        {...other}
+      >
         {this.renderScrollableContent()}
       </ScrollableList>,
     ];
diff --git a/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_avatar.js b/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_avatar.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8c9360321
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_avatar.js
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
+import classNames from 'classnames';
+
+export default class Avatar extends React.PureComponent {
+
+  static propTypes = {
+    size: PropTypes.number,
+    style: PropTypes.object,
+    inline: PropTypes.bool,
+  };
+
+  static defaultProps = {
+    inline: false,
+  };
+
+  render() {
+    const { size, inline } = this.props;
+
+    // : TODO : remove inline and change all avatars to be sized using css
+    const style = !size ? {} : {
+      width: `${size}px`,
+      height: `${size}px`,
+    };
+
+    return (
+      <div
+        className={classNames('account__avatar', { 'account__avatar-inline': inline })}
+        style={style}
+        alt=''
+      />
+    );
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_display_name.js b/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_display_name.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dd5c2ad47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_display_name.js
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
+import { randomIntFromInterval, generateText } from '../utils';
+
+export default class DisplayName extends React.Component {
+
+  static propTypes = {
+    maxLength: PropTypes.number.isRequired,
+    minLength: PropTypes.number.isRequired,
+  }
+
+  render() {
+    const { maxLength, minLength } = this.props;
+    const length = randomIntFromInterval(maxLength, minLength);
+
+    return (
+      <span className='display-name'>
+        <span>
+          <span className='display-name__name'>
+            <bdi><strong className='display-name__html'>{generateText(length)}</strong></bdi>
+          </span>
+        </span>
+      </span>
+    );
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_material_status.js b/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_material_status.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f55d9d086
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_material_status.js
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import PlaceholderStatus from './placeholder_status';
+
+export default class PlaceholderMaterialStatus extends React.Component {
+
+  render() {
+    return (
+      <div className='material-status' tabIndex={-1} aria-hidden>
+        <div className='material-status__status' tabIndex={0}>
+          <PlaceholderStatus {...this.props} focusable={false} />
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_status.js b/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_status.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1fea821ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_status.js
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import PlaceholderAvatar from './placeholder_avatar';
+import PlaceholderDisplayName from './placeholder_display_name';
+import PlaceholderStatusContent from './placeholder_status_content';
+
+export default class PlaceholderStatus extends React.Component {
+
+  shouldComponentUpdate() {
+    // Re-rendering this will just cause the random lengths to jump around.
+    // There's basically no reason to ever do it.
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  render() {
+    return (
+      <div className='placeholder-status'>
+        <div className='status__wrapper'>
+          <div className='status'>
+            <div className='status__info'>
+              <div className='status__profile'>
+                <div className='status__avatar'>
+                  <PlaceholderAvatar size={48} />
+                </div>
+                <span className='status__display-name'>
+                  <PlaceholderDisplayName minLength={3} maxLength={25} />
+                </span>
+              </div>
+            </div>
+
+            <PlaceholderStatusContent minLength={5} maxLength={120} />
+
+            {/* TODO */}
+            {/* <PlaceholderActionBar /> */}
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_status_content.js b/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_status_content.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cf47c80d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/components/placeholder_status_content.js
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
+import { randomIntFromInterval, generateText } from '../utils';
+
+export default class PlaceholderStatusContent extends React.Component {
+
+  static propTypes = {
+    maxLength: PropTypes.number.isRequired,
+    minLength: PropTypes.number.isRequired,
+  }
+
+  render() {
+    const { maxLength, minLength } = this.props;
+    const length = randomIntFromInterval(maxLength, minLength);
+
+    return(
+      <div className='status__content' tabIndex='0' key='content'>
+        {generateText(length)}
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/utils.js b/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/utils.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f2001a61d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/soapbox/features/placeholder/utils.js
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+export const PLACEHOLDER_CHAR = '█';
+
+export const generateText = length => {
+  let text = '';
+
+  for (let i = 0; i < length; i++) {
+    text += PLACEHOLDER_CHAR;
+  }
+
+  return text;
+};
+
+// https://stackoverflow.com/a/7228322/8811886
+export const randomIntFromInterval = (min, max) => {
+  return Math.floor(Math.random() * (max - min + 1) + min);
+};
diff --git a/app/styles/basics.scss b/app/styles/basics.scss
index 4694adbfd..26f98bbf8 100644
--- a/app/styles/basics.scss
+++ b/app/styles/basics.scss
@@ -204,3 +204,12 @@ noscript {
 .greentext {
   color: #789922;
 }
+
+.placeholder-status {
+  .status__display-name strong,
+  .status__content {
+    letter-spacing: -1px;
+    color: var(--brand-color);
+    opacity: 0.1;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/app/styles/components/columns.scss b/app/styles/components/columns.scss
index 2f9abd13b..726f9f40b 100644
--- a/app/styles/components/columns.scss
+++ b/app/styles/components/columns.scss
@@ -881,7 +881,8 @@
 }
 
 // Make MaterialStatus flush against SubNavigation
-.sub-navigation ~ .slist .item-list > article:first-child .material-status__status {
+.sub-navigation ~ .slist .item-list > article:first-child .material-status__status,
+.sub-navigation ~ .material-status .material-status__status {
   border-top-left-radius: 0;
   border-top-right-radius: 0;
 }
diff --git a/app/styles/components/profile_hover_card.scss b/app/styles/components/profile_hover_card.scss
index a30895897..e90cd64ad 100644
--- a/app/styles/components/profile_hover_card.scss
+++ b/app/styles/components/profile_hover_card.scss
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 .display-name__account {
   position: relative;
-  cursor: pointer;
 }
 
 .display-name .profile-hover-card {