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Chad (slang)

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For the graffiti character, see Kilroy was here.
Not to be confused with Chav.

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

Further information: Manosphere, Incel, and Internet slang

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

References

  1. ^ a b Crystal, David (2018). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University Press. p. 193. ISBN 978-1108423595. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Welch, David (2012). New in Town Chicago. New in Town Chicago. p. 16.
  3. ^ Hines, Alice (May 28, 2019). "How Many Bones Would you Break to get Laid?". The Cut. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  4. ^ Ali, Rasha; Oliver, David; Haneline, Amy (November 15, 2019). "What is a VSCO girl? OK, boomer. A parents' dictionary to teen slang words, sksksksksk". USA Today. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Tracy Swartz (April 24, 2008). "Talk of the town". Chicago Redeye. Retrieved April 2, 2014. But there are terms within this Chi-alect that are specific to the North and South Sides.
  6. ^ xu, Shi- (March 29, 2024). The Routledge Handbook of Cultural Discourse Studies. Taylor & Francis. p. 489. ISBN 978-1-003-84912-4. 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. ^ Gibson, Rebecca (2024). Cyborgs, Ethics, and The Matrix. Springer Nature. p. 12y. ISBN 978-3-031-61010-3. 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. ^ Jordan, Jan (March 14, 2022). Women, Rape and Justice: Unravelling the Rape Conundrum. Routledge. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-429-84973-2.
  9. ^ Donovan, Joan; Dreyfuss, Emily; Friedberg, Brian (September 20, 2022). Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-63557-864-5. ...the archetypal sexually active, athletic, gainfully employed white male, dubbed "Chads"...
  10. ^ "Virgin vs Chad Meme Is Taking Over the Entire Internet". The Daily Dot. November 7, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  11. ^ Nagle, Angela. "The New Man of 4chan". The Baffler 30 (2016): 64. Archived March 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ^ Hathaway, Jay (January 26, 2021). "The Virgin vs Chad meme, explained". The Daily Dot. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  13. ^ Marwick, Alice, and Rebecca Lewis. "Media manipulation and disinformation online". New York: Data & Society Research Institute (2017).
  14. ^ Beauchamp, Zack (April 25, 2018). "Incel, the misogynist ideology that inspired the deadly Toronto attack, explained". Vox.
  15. ^ Jennings, Rebecca (April 28, 2018). "Incels Categorize Women by Personal Style and Attractiveness". Vox.
  16. ^ "The 'incel rebellion': did sexual frustration trigger Toronto rampage?". South China Morning Post. April 25, 2018.
  17. ^ Thomas Dane (August 23, 2019). "People Who Know Chads and Karens Admit How They Feel About Their Names Becoming Insults". George Takei. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  18. ^ Rebecca Jennings (August 28, 2018). "Incels Categorize Women by Personal Style and Attractiveness". Vox.
  19. ^ "What is incel? Examining the 'rebellion' praised by Toronto van attack suspect". Global News. April 25, 2018.
  20. ^ Arianna Jeret (April 25, 2018). "What Does 'Stacy' Mean? The Odd Way Incel Men on Reddit and 4Chan Use It to Describe Certain Women". Yahoo! Lifestyle. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  21. ^ Clay Risen (August 20, 2001). "Lincoln Park Trixie Society". Flak Magazine. Archived from the original on September 10, 2001. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  22. ^ Ettinger, Marlon (November 23, 2023). "Who is GigaChad?". The Daily Dot. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
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