Stop being so ‘Cheugy’!-an insight into contemporary slang.
Modernity is surprising. Terminology like “aesthetic” “hot girl summer” and “pick me boy” emerge as the phenomena of both the technological boom, and globalization, impact the world around us. The way we think is also constrained to this social circumstance. At some point, I also feel like people outside of the Internet/TikTok bubble have a hard time understanding these new terms, while others tend to incorporate them with great facility to their daily vocabulary.
Now, the term C-H-E-U-G-Y is hunting us.
According to Urban Dictionary, cheugy means “the opposite of trendy. Stylish in middle school and high school but no longer in style. Used when someone still follows these out-of-date trends. This may include but not be limited to fashion, habits on social media, usage of slang, etc”. (2018)
Skinny jeans? Cheugy. Minions? Cheugy. “KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON”? Super cheugy. In reality, anything (and everything) could at some point become “cheugy” if we take into consideration how fast trends come and go. I am truly fascinated by how fashion (and its slang) can change with the blink of an eye. It is not shocking that our fast-paced world has this power, which as a result translates into other areas of our communities- especially consumption.
The pandemic has ultimately affected the world economy, and for instance, the way we consume. Paying attention to sustainability, purchasing animal cruelty-free products, and avoiding fast fashion, have all become part of the latest “shopping ethic.” But I believe that the genesis of why we create certain trends rely on some sort of “escapism” from reality. Let’s face it, millions of people are prompt to hide behind social media. Not only showing an utopic reality, but also building an imaginary picture of what they would like their life to be, or look like. With hopes of a better tomorrow, where vaccines and Covid-19 are just part of an old dream, we delicately create a virtual scenario of cute clothing, lifestyle routines, and traveling pictures of places we might never go to. Is this wrong? No. However, it is important to bear in mind that this should serve a purpose of vitality, and faith for the future-not a discouring act.
Furthermore, it is no secret that the younger generations love to be critics of everything we encounter. Cancel culture is also a factor that plays a huge role in social trends. These elements now influence the way we perceive life, and our behavior. Therefore, qualifying something as a “cheugy element”, can even give us some type of rewarding feeling. Light at the end of the tunnel.
We are judges of life, or at least that is what we like to believe.
But by the time everyone gets to know a certain term, it is more than likely that it has already become outdated. It is inevitable. The cycle continues.
Are we living in an eternal loop? Could it be stopped? How can I keep up to date to be trendy? Is this even worth my time?
Just relax.
Take a deep breath.
I really can’t wait for the time the word cheugy, becomes cheugy.
By Valiente
