Girly Pop / Girlypop

Submission 29,706

Part of a series on Internet Slang. [View Related Entries]

About

Girly Pop or GirlyPop is an internet slang term that refers to a stereotypically feminine female or male. The term is often used in reference to effeminate or gay men. The exact origins of the term are unclear, but it was largely popularized by YouTuber Haley Pham and has been used online since as early as 2008, seeing increased popularity in 2022 on sites like TikTok.

Origin

The origins of "girly pop" or "girlypop" are unclear. One of the earliest known mentions of the term is a series of drawings by DeviantArt^[1] user thinks, posted on December 22nd, 2008. The term was used numerous times on Twitter^[2] in 2009. In 2012, there was a Tumblr account named "girlypop," although it no longer seems to exist.^[3] The term was defined on Urban Dictionary^[4] as early as September 19th, 2018, the definition reading:

"A girlypop is a constantly slaying queen that has everyone captivated with every move she makes. From her AWESOME Style to her FABULOUS cheerleading skills she will have you wanting to be her best friend."

YouTuber Haley Pham, who frequently calls her viewers "girly pops" (example shown below) and sells merch with the term on it, helped popularize the term throughout the late 2010s and early 2020s. On July 30th, 2020, a Redditor posted a "guide to girly pop" to /r/ApplyingToCollege,^[7] claiming Pham helped popularize it.

Spread

The term became increasingly popular online throughout the 2020s, especially on TikTok. Throughout 2022, TikToker^[5] @ally_yost started using the term at the beginning of her videos to address her viewers, further popularizing the term (example from March 2022 shown below, left). On December 23rd, 2022, TikToker^[6] @n_otcass posted a video dressing her boyfriend as a "slay girly pop," garnering over 400,000 views in three months (shown below, right).

The term has also spread to other social media platforms, including Twitter. For example, on January 29th, 2023, Twitter^[8] user @thebiggestyee made a post using the term, garnering over 6,000 likes in two months. The post was shared by Instagram^[9] user thatgirlpage_ on February 1st, garnering over 11,900 likes in a month (shown below).

On February 12th, TikToker^[10] @saaaaachi01 posted a video of a boy dancing captioned, "Pov: when you're the only girlypop in the whole class," garnering over 471,000 views in a month (shown below, left). On February 25th, TikToker^[11] @cayydences posted a comedy video explaining girly pop, garnering over 235,000 views in a month (shown below, right).