Chad (slang)

A Chad, in internet slang, is generally a sexually active "alpha male".[1] The term has a history of being used by incels and other manosphere groups, though it has also become a slang term across the internet and among adolescents in general to refer to particularly courageous or competent males.[2][3]

For other uses, see Chad (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Chav.

Origins

The term originated in Chicago[4] and originally referred in a derogatory way to call a young urban American man, typically single and in his twenties or early thirties.[5]

It was covered by a satirical website dedicated to the Lincoln Park Chad Society, a fictional social club based in Chicago's upscale Lincoln Park neighborhood.[4] A Chad was originally depicted as originating in Chicago's affluent North Shore suburbs (Highland Park, Evanston, Deerfield, Northbrook, Glenview, Glencoe, Winnetka, Wilmette, or Lake Forest), receiving a BMW for his 16th birthday, obtaining a law or business degree from a Big Ten university, belonging to a fraternity, moving to Lincoln Park, marrying a "Trixie", and then moving back to the North Shore suburbs.[6]

Manosphere

The term is used in incel forums to refer to sexually active "alpha males".[7] Within the manosphere, Chads are viewed as constituting the top decile in terms of genetic fitness.[8] In online animation drawings in the manosphere, a Chad is further tagged with the last name Thundercock and is often depicted as muscular with a very pronounced crotch bulge. One such depiction, in the 'Virgin vs. Chad' internet meme of the late 2010s, displayed the head of Chad in the same shape as the borders of the country of the same name. Overall, this depiction is reminiscent of stereotypes of American fashion in the 1980s, and runs together somewhat with the stereotype of the jock. [9] Chads are sometimes portrayed as the opposite to "omega" or "beta" males, and as aesthetically attractive. The term Chad is sometimes used interchangeably with slayer.[10] Due to their characterisation as being genetically gifted and privileged—though sometimes depicted as shallow, air-headed, arrogant, and overtly sexual[11]—the term Chad is used in both a pejorative and complimentary way on incel forums.[12][13]

The female counterpart to the Chad, in slang, is the Stacy,[14][15][16][17] or originally, the Trixie.[18]

See also

References
  1. Hines, Alice (May 28, 2019). "How Many Bones Would you Break to get Laid?". The Cut. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  2. 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.
  3. Dixit, Saumya (July 19, 2020). "Who is the Johnny Bravo cop, why is the Internet obsessed with comparing him to the Chad meme?". MEAWW. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  4. Tracy Swartz (April 24, 2008). "Talk of the town". Chicago Redeye. Retrieved 2 April 2014. But there are terms within this Chi-alect that are specific to the North and South Sides.
  5. Kaduk, Kevin. Wrigleyworld: A Season in Baseball's Best Neighborhood (NAL Hardcover, 2006) ISBN 978-0-451-21812-4
  6. "» Lifecycle". 15 January 2008. Archived from the original on 15 January 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  7. "Virgin vs Chad Meme Is Taking Over the Entire Internet". 7 November 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  8. Nagle, Angela. "The New Man of 4chan". The Baffler 30 (2016): 64
  9. Mountford, Joseph (3 September 2015). "Creating Masculinities Online: Bronies and The Red Pill - J.B Mountford". Retrieved 28 April 2018 – via ResearchGate.
  10. Marwick, Alice, and Rebecca Lewis. "Media manipulation and disinformation online". New York: Data & Society Research Institute (2017).
  11. Beauchamp, Zack (April 25, 2018). "Incel, the misogynist ideology that inspired the deadly Toronto attack, explained". Vox.
  12. Jennings, Rebecca (April 28, 2018). "Incels Categorize Women by Personal Style and Attractiveness". Vox.
  13. "The 'incel rebellion': did sexual frustration trigger Toronto rampage?". South China Morning Post. April 25, 2018.
  14. Thomas Dane. "People Who Know Chads and Karens Admit How They Feel About Their Names Becoming Insults". George Takei. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  15. Rebecca Jennings (2018-08-28). "Incels Categorize Women by Personal Style and Attractiveness". Vox.
  16. "What is incel? Examining the 'rebellion' praised by Toronto van attack suspect". Global News. 2018-04-25.
  17. Arianna Jeret (2018-04-25). "What Does 'Stacy' Mean? The Odd Way Incel Men On Reddit and 4Chan Use It to Describe Certain Women". Yahoo! Lifestyle.
  18. Clay Risen (August 20, 2001). "Lincoln Park Trixie Society". Flak Magazine. Archived from the original on September 10, 2001. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
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