Boujee / Bougie

About

Boujee or Bougie is a slang term derived from the French word "bourgeois," meaning high or upper-middle class, that's used to call someone high class or point out someone's expensive, capitalist taste. Online, the term is often used deprecatingly and self-deprecatingly, essentially to criticize someone of lower class for being materialistic and spending more than they should to live a lavish, material lifestyle, even if they don't have the money to maintain said lifestyle. The term saw increased use online throughout the 2010s, particularly after its rise in rap culture.

Origin

"Boujee" is derived from the French word "bourgeois,"^[1] used to define something or someone as characteristic of the middle or upper-middle class, often relating to a reliance on material goods and capitalistic gain. As an extension of this, the term "bourgeoisie" is used broadly to define those in the middle and upper-middle classes. In Marxist theory, the bourgeoisie is painted as the class that seized the means of production during industrialization, and the term is largely used in the same way as "capitalist" or "capitalism."^[2]

Online, the term "boujee" became popularized online over the course of the 2010s. Migos' October 2016 song "Bad and Boujee," (shown below) notable for inspiring the Drop Top memes, helped spread the term and its use on social media during the late 2010s.

Spread

The term, sometimes spelled "bougie," has been referenced in memes throughout the 2010s and 2020s. For example, on December 29th, 2016, Twitter^[3] user @sororltyprobs tweeted an image of a woman in a blanket with a glass of wine, writing, "My mood all 2017. Boujee and care free," gaining over 2,300 likes and 1,300 retweets in six years (shown below).

On August 30th, 2020, YouTubers Smile Squad Comedy posted a video titled "14 Signs You're Bougie," gaining over 1.8 million views in two years (shown below, left). The video gives examples like drinking sparkling water, getting regular massages, tasting wine and not caring about the price of things as being "boujee." On September 3rd, YouTuber Lilly Singh posted a video titled "4 Signs That You're Boujee," gaining over 1.7 million views in two years. The video largely pokes fun at people who portray the bougie lifestyle without the means to.

On November 27th, 2020, Instagram^[4] user hornyshrimp posted an image macro using the term "bougie," gaining over 50,000 likes in two years (shown below, left). On November 6th, 2021, Instagram^[5] page hiphoodclips shared a screenshot of a now-deleted tweet criticizing people who stay in cheaper hotels on vacation, a user commenting "don't let Twitter make you think you need to stay in a boujee 5 star hotel to make the best memories," gaining over 115,000 likes in six months (shown below, right).

On February 4th, 2022, TikToker^[6] @kimtraino71 posted a video captioned "boujee cat with a manicure" showing a cat with painted nails, gaining over 9 million views in three months (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References