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Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘My Ball' Is TikTok's New Favorite Nickname — Here's What It Means
You may have heard it on Love Island — or in your living room. From your teen or on social media. But chances are, you have heard Gen Z's latest slang term: 'my ball.' This viral TikTok nickname trend is everywhere right now, and while it's origins might be murky, it's meaning is fairly straightforward. Like 'babe,' 'boo-thang,' and 'bae,' 'ball' or 'my ball' is a term of endearment. It basically just means, 'that's my girl.' It was popularized by rapper DDG during his Twitch streams. In a video clip, DDG explains what 'my ball' means, per Parents: 'I would like to write a declaration in the lingo dictionary that this is not a disrespectful term,' he said. 'The synonym is not b*tch, it's saying my woman, my beautiful woman. Ball is an acronym for 'beautiful-a** little lady.'' He's also said it stands for 'beautiful aura lovely lady.' (Now he has a song out called 'That's My Ball.') More from SheKnows At 19, I Broke Up With Social Media - & Chose Myself Using 'my ball' has spread from there, including teens on TikTok using it and even men on Love Island calling girls their 'ball' or asking for 'my ball back.' Unlike girl or babe, though, 'ball' has a specific connotation that the person can be 'played with' or 'passed around' or 'collected,' which means it may not be as sweet as DDG says. The 'my ball' trend is just another iteration of the larger Gen Z dating culture that shies away from commitment. (A guy will ask you to be his 'ball' but not his 'girlfriend.') Just look at Love Island, a show supposedly about finding love but really about hooking up, becoming TikTok famous, and 'clip farming' to look cool online even while sacrificing real relationships to do it. Situationships are becoming more common, with two people 'talking' or 'hanging out,' even exclusively, but not being anything more serious than that. Teens are acting nonchalant and cool, like they don't care about anything, and that extends to dating. Dr. Caroline Fenkel, LCSW, DSW, Chief Clinical Officer and Co-Founder at Charlie Health, previously told SheKnows, 'Nonchalance as a trend among teens is deeply rooted in the current culture of detachment and self-preservation. For many teens, appearing unbothered or 'effortlessly cool' signals emotional resilience and self-sufficiency in a world that often feels hyper-visible and judgmental, primarily through social media.' 'I think it's essential for parents to recognize that nonchalance isn't always just a personality trait — sometimes it's a defense mechanism,' Dr. Fenkel added. 'Teens are navigating complex social environments that are more visible and scrutinized than ever before. Encouraging open conversations about feelings and providing consistent support can help them feel safe enough to express vulnerability.' Maybe then, will Gen Z be able to go from playing with balls to actually, genuinely falling in of SheKnows At 19, I Broke Up With Social Media – & Chose Myself AP Scores Just Came Out — Here's What to Do If Your Teen's Upset About Theirs Celebrate Freedom With These Perfectly-Patriotic Americana Baby Names
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
17 Cringey Texting Conversations That'll Make Old, Married People Say, "Surely, Dating Can't Be This Bad, Right?"
It's 2025, and dating hasn't gotten any easier for straight women. We've shown you how awful "nice guys" can be, but it's time to take a peek at just how bad some men — in general — can be when it comes to conversing. Here are 19 texting conversations women had with potential partners: start with this one. This guy repeatedly messages this woman, and she never responds. Then, she gets this text from him: guy who thinks it is acceptable to ask for nudes after being respectfully turned down for sex: guy, who seems to have one motive, and it's not a long-term relationship: guy who is a lying, disrespectful a piece of crap, no matter how you look at it: same with this guy, even though he was honest: Related: "That Sentence Sat In My Head For Months": Men Are Revealing The Most Hurtful Things A Woman Can Say To Them, And It's Actually Fascinating guy who still didn't get it after the woman clearly tried everything to be transparent: 7.I have no words for this one: one has also left me a bit speechless: Related: Here Are 50 Pictures That Make Me Grin Uncontrollably No Matter How Many Times I've Seen Them, In Case You Need Them guy who reached out to a backup...(I wonder why his date had anxiety lol): guy who thinks being "poetic" is a good segway into asking disrespectful questions: guy who is clearly immature and into playing games: guy who is just too much: guy who can't be bothered to even send a decent response: same with this guy: guy who might need more experience being an adult before dating: guy who sums up most of the men in this post: finally, this guy who proves we may never have hope in dating men again: Do you have any screenshots of cringey texts from a dating website or from a guy you were dating? Submit them in the photo dropbox below, and we may share yours in a follow-up BuzzFeed post featuring our readers! Also in Internet Finds: Holy Crap, I Can't Stop Laughing At These 28 Painfully Awkward And Embarrassing Conversations Also in Internet Finds: I Need To Call My Doc For A New Inhaler After Cackling So Hard At These 41 Funny Tweets From The Week Also in Internet Finds: People Are Sharing How What Happened In Vegas Did NOT Stay In Vegas, And This Should Be A Lesson To Never Go To A Bachelor/Bachelorette Party There
