Since writing the last ‘Gen Z language For Marketers’ post, I’ve thought of quite a few more slang terms that I think could be a bit confusing.
So with that being said, here are 7 more Gen Z slang phrases that every marketer should know!
1. Fighting For My/ Your Life ⚔️
This phrase basically means to struggle to overcome something. For example “I was fighting for my life trying not to laugh” just means that they were struggling to not laugh.
A common version of this phrase is that someone is ‘fighting for their life in the group chat’. This basically refers to when someone has done something so embarrassing (often on camera) that they are now getting made fun of by their friends in their group chat. They are, therefore, ‘fighting for their life’ trying to defend themselves.
2. Sleeping/ Slept On ?
When something, or someone, is being ‘slept on’ this means that it is underrated and isn’t being appreciated as much as it should.
For example, if a certain celebrity is being ‘slept on’ this may mean that they are extremely talented (or good-looking) and they aren’t getting the hype they deserve.
3. Main Character (Energy) ?♀️
A ‘main character’ would be someone who lives a fun and interesting life that would make for a good movie main character. People who give off ‘main character energy’ would be people that have an aura that the world revolves around them, but not in a way that makes them unlikeable.
Things that can be described as having ‘main character energy’ would be doing things that often don’t happen in real life but in films instead, for example, dancing in the rain.
4. Sus ?
Very simple one, sus is just short for suspicious or suspect. It grew popular from the game Among Us, and just means that someone is behaving in a way that is suspicious for some reason.
5. Dead/ Deceased ?
If you’re ‘dead’ (or deceased), this just means you find something extremely funny. This can also be simplified down to just the skull emoji which reflects dying of laughter. ? The skull can also be used in a situation that you maybe shouldn’t laugh in but is still funny.
In contrast, if something is described as dead, for example a party, it means it’s no longer as good as it was, and in this context would mean the party is a bit quiet and boring.
6. IYKYK ?
This acronym means ‘If You Know, You Know’ and is often used when something is provided with no context and is therefore a bit of an inside joke. It basically just means that not everyone will get or understand it but if they know then they know.
7. POV: ?
Stands for Point Of View and is a way of trying to get the reader/ viewer to imagine themselves in a specific scenario. For example, POV: you are reading this paragraph about the meaning of the word POV. Video POVs in particular grew in popularity on TikTok and have led to the phrase POV being used more.
POV: you are now clued up on some more Gen Z slang! Hope these were helpful! ?