Chad (slang) explained

The slang term Chad has historically been applied in different contexts. It originated in the UK, where it was used to describe a particular humorous ad-hoc cartoon.[1] Later, it was employed in Chicago as a derogatory description for young, upper-class, urban males.[2] In modern internet slang, the term generally refers to an "alpha"[3] or simply a sexually successful male.[4]

Origins

The slang term "Chad" originated in the UK during World War II and was employed in a similar humorous manner as Kilroy was here.[1] It later came into use in Chicago[2] as a derogatory way to describe a young, wealthy man from the city's northern suburbs, typically single and in his twenties or early thirties.[2] Chicago's Chads were covered by a satirical website dedicated to the Lincoln Park Chad Society, a fictional social club based in the city's upscale Lincoln Park neighborhood.[5]

The term became a viral meme in the 2010s after appearing on the online messaging board 4chan under the name "Chad Thundercock".[6] Chad is described as a heterosexual, White male, usually blond-haired,[7] [8] who is gainfully employed, athletic, sexually active, and well-endowed.[9]

Manosphere, incels, and internet use

The term has come into use in incel forums and as internet slang to refer to sexually active, genetically superior men, or "alpha males".[10] Within the manosphere and internet culture, Chads are generally viewed as constituting the top decile in terms of genetic fitness.[11] In online animation drawings in the manosphere, a Chad is further tagged with an explicit last name and is often depicted as a muscular blond man with very pronounced masculine features. One such depiction, in the "Virgin vs. Chad" internet meme that originated from the /r9k/ board on 4chan in 2017, contrasts an introverted and insecure "Virgin" who acts normal, compared to a muscular and egotistical "Chad" who acts absurdly and over the top.[12] Chads are sometimes portrayed as the opposite to "omega" or "beta" males, and as physically attractive. The term Chad is sometimes used interchangeably with "slayer".[13] Due to their characterization as being genetically gifted and privileged—though sometimes depicted as shallow, air-headed, arrogant, and overtly sexual[14] —the term Chad is used in both a pejorative and complimentary way on incel forums and on the internet as a whole.[15] [16]

The female counterpart to a Chad, in slang, is a "Stacy",[17] [18] [19] [20] or previously, the "Trixie".[21]

"Gigachad" is a related internet meme that uses black-and-white photographs of a muscular male model. It is used to assert one's opinion as correct, without providing evidence or reasoning.[22]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Crystal . David . The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language . 2018 . Cambridge University Press . 978-1108423595 . 193 . August 28, 2021.
  2. Book: Welch . David . New in Town Chicago . 2012 . 16 . New in Town Chicago .
  3. Web site: How Many Bones Would you Break to get Laid?. The Cut. Hines. Alice. May 28, 2019. October 3, 2020.
  4. Web site: What is a VSCO girl? OK, boomer. A parents' dictionary to teen slang words, sksksksksk. USA Today. Ali. Rasha. Oliver. David. Haneline. Amy. November 15, 2019. October 3, 2020.
  5. News: Tracy Swartz. April 24, 2008. Talk of the town. Chicago Redeye. April 2, 2014. But there are terms within this Chi-alect that are specific to the North and South Sides..
  6. Book: xu . Shi- . The Routledge Handbook of Cultural Discourse Studies . March 29, 2024 . Taylor & Francis . 978-1-003-84912-4 . 489. The categories of "Virgo" and "Chad" emerged in 2016 from the publication of a meme on the social network 4chan. These names designate two stereotypical profiles of people or groups based on the +/- virility trait: the Chad or alpha male, heterosexual, white, attractive and popular; and his counterpart the Virgo or beta male..
  7. Book: Gibson . Rebecca . Cyborgs, Ethics, and The Matrix . 2024 . Springer Nature . 978-3-031-61010-3 . 12y. Chad Thundercock or Nordic Gamer, is a memeable character sketch based on a drawing of a very stereotypically masculine man who gets with a lot of women and is tough and stoic. Square jawed, usually blond haired, muscular, and well-endowed..
  8. Book: Jordan . Jan . Women, Rape and Justice: Unravelling the Rape Conundrum . March 14, 2022 . Routledge . 978-0-429-84973-2 . 144 .
  9. Book: Donovan . Joan . Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America . Dreyfuss . Emily . Friedberg . Brian . September 20, 2022 . Bloomsbury Publishing USA . 978-1-63557-864-5 . 90. ...the archetypal sexually active, athletic, gainfully employed white male, dubbed "Chads"....
  10. Web site: Virgin vs Chad Meme Is Taking Over the Entire Internet . . November 7, 2017 . April 28, 2018.
  11. Nagle, Angela. New Man of 4chan". The Baffler 30 (2016): 64. Archived March 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
  12. Web site: Hathaway . Jay . The Virgin vs Chad meme, explained. The Daily Dot . March 8, 2021 . January 26, 2021.
  13. Marwick, Alice, and Rebecca Lewis. "Media manipulation and disinformation online". New York: Data & Society Research Institute (2017).
  14. Web site: Incel, the misogynist ideology that inspired the deadly Toronto attack, explained . Zack . Beauchamp . April 25, 2018 . Vox.
  15. Web site: Incels Categorize Women by Personal Style and Attractiveness . Rebecca . Jennings . April 28, 2018 . Vox.
  16. Web site: The 'incel rebellion': did sexual frustration trigger Toronto rampage? . April 25, 2018 . South China Morning Post.
  17. Web site: Thomas Dane . People Who Know Chads and Karens Admit How They Feel About Their Names Becoming Insults . August 23, 2019 . George Takei . December 16, 2019.
  18. News: Incels Categorize Women by Personal Style and Attractiveness . Rebecca Jennings . August 28, 2018 . Vox .
  19. News: What is incel? Examining the 'rebellion' praised by Toronto van attack suspect . April 25, 2018 . Global News.
  20. News: What Does 'Stacy' Mean? The Odd Way Incel Men on Reddit and 4Chan Use It to Describe Certain Women . Arianna Jeret . April 25, 2018 . Yahoo! Lifestyle . November 23, 2019 . January 8, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210108101747/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/does-apos-stacy-apos-mean-042649114.html . dead .
  21. News: Lincoln Park Trixie Society . Clay Risen . . August 20, 2001 . https://web.archive.org/web/20010910092039/http://www.flakmag.com/web/trixie.html . September 10, 2001 . May 9, 2019.
  22. News: Ettinger . Marlon . Who is GigaChad? . April 18, 2024 . The Daily Dot . November 23, 2023.

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