A Guide to Kids’ Culture for Out-of-Touch Adults: What Does “TLPUR” Mean?
This week, we take a trip into the hall of mirrors of contemporary youth culture: a new example of post-slang, another poisonous note from the internet’s insular circles, a viral German hit, and the return of tanning without fear or dread.
What does “TLPUR” mean?
This mysterious acronym, #tlpur, has recently started appearing in the comments wherever young people hang out. No one knows exactly where it came from, and what it means depends on who you ask. Some say TLPUR stands for “True Love Pills Until Rope.” Others say it stands for “The Lookspill Proves Us Right.” Still others say it stands for “Too Late for Puberty.” But what does it actually mean? It doesn’t mean anything. The idea is to come up with an explanation for anyone who asks. It’s an in-group sign, or as young people say, IYKYK (You You Know Know). This video explains it all:
But TLPUR has a deeper meaning. As the acronym gained popularity, more and more people began posting repetitive, slightly hypnotic videos about TLPUR set to old Weezer songs, like this one:
…and offering more abstract definitions in the comments, such as: “TLPUR is basically when you have a sticker of Belle Delphine’s hand” and “TLPUR is basically 808.” For a deeper dive, check out this article on KnowYourMeme .
( For more definitions of words used only by young people—both with and without the meaning—check out Lifehacker’s Gen Z and Gen A slang glossary . )
What is a “D1 dip”?
As discussed in this column, a “crushout” is an intense, angry, emotional outburst. The term “Division I crushout” is borrowed from college sports and refers to an elite, epic crushout.
What’s going on with the “Top 5 Horror Movies” trend?
When someone says “top 5 horror movies,” I usually say ” The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “The Shining,” “The Innocents,” “The Wicker Man, ” and “Hereditary ,” but for young people, it means something different. They celebrate real-life anxieties and minor inconveniences, accompanying them with a melancholy snippet of Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away” and posting videos under the hashtag #top5horrormovies . These videos offer a glimpse into the collective psyche of Generations Z and A. They present the most terrifying things that wouldn’t even momentarily faze older people, like ” not knowing what’s for dinner ” and ” having to make a decision .” It really highlights how dramatic people can be before confronting true horror, like “cancer” and “werewolf attacks.”
What is a “hyplet”?
In many videos tagged “Top 5 Horror Movies,” the word “men” is mentioned five times, and the rise in popularity of the word “hiplet” helps explain it. “Hiplet” is slang for a woman with “hip dips”—that is, a woman with an inward curve on the outer thigh just below the pelvic bone. According to legend (thanks to angry incels online), hiplets are not date-worthy, as you can see from this video:
The reality is that some guys are angry at women for saying they prefer dating tall men, so they’re trying to create a similar category for women. It’s not at all organic. They’re making videos to popularize the term and let women know that’s how they’re perceived.
However, it doesn’t seem to be working. The reaction from young women online is mostly sarcastic, as you can see in this video:
Ultimately, there are two losers here: 1) the evil guys on the internet (as always) and 2) the Hiplet ballerinas , who should not be associated with this nonsense.
What is “tanmaxing”?
Despite decades of warnings from dermatologists, more and more teenagers are abandoning their traditional skincare routines for the summer. Sun-loving teens monitor peak UV index levels and deliberately tan without sunscreen and/or use rich tanning oils to achieve the darkest skin tone possible.
Much of tanmaxxer’s content is videos of people lying in the sun doing nothing, but since we live in a post-truth era, videos are emerging that question the sun’s actual dangers.
Young people need to visit places like Florida and San Diego and observe the older locals with their baseball-glove faces to get a sense of the situation. Beyond health and appearance, the statement “I sunbathe a lot” as a defining personality trait seems somewhat suspect.
On the positive side, I don’t see any signs of a return to those mirrors that people used to use to reflect even more sunlight onto their faces, but I think it will happen soon.
Viral Video of the Week: Du bist Gut genug
Unlike TLPUR, “Du Bist Gut Genug” actually means something and has nothing to do with the similar-sounding slang expression ” dah bih gah. ” “Du bist gut genug” means “You are good enough” in German.
A few weeks ago, the German duo Blumengarten released the song “Gut Genug.” It’s a pretty good song with a pretty good message:
However, young people didn’t really notice until TikToker @justlove_161 removed the chorus and posted a video:
It has been viewed by millions of people and has inspired some funny remixes:
And it quickly becomes a reaction meme in videos like this:
and this: