What does ‘babygirl’ mean? Defining the Gen Z slang

Sophie Caldwell
·3 min read
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Gen Z has come up with yet another pop culture phrase to baffle anyone born before the year 2000.

On the Feb. 2 edition of Hoda & Jenna, the hosting duo puzzled over a popular Gen Z slang term — "babygirl" — that's making the rounds.

Hoda and Jenna defined "babygirl" as having a specific set of criteria:

  • A man over 25 years old

  • Cutesy in a slightly submissive way

  • Has a bad boy side but isn't intimidating

  • Soft and secure in his masculinity

Celebrities cited as "babygirl" examples included Jacob Elordi, Pedro Pascal, and Bryan Cranston.

Looking at rugged, 67-year-old actor Cranston (who, it should be noted, is perhaps best known for playing drug lord Walter White in "Breaking Bad"), "babygirl" is not the first descriptor that comes to mind.

"Oh, he is so babygirl," Hoda joked.

Jenna wasn't convinced.

"Has anyone ever had a baby girl? Because we have, and I don't know whether you'd want to be called that," she quipped.

Read on to learn more about what "babygirl" means, where the term comes from, and who qualifies as a "babygirl".

Where did "babygirl" come from?

The term "babygirl" originated from Gen Z fan language.

On Urban Dictionary, one user explained the term as "a male character who does questionable things but is so sad and pathetic you can’t help but love them."

"Babygirl" is not a new term — internet experts say that "babygirl" began growing in popularity as early as 2021 — but it has become increasingly mainstream.

In the January 20th episode of SNL, singer Renee Rapp humorously described host Elordi as "so babygirl" during the opening sketch.

"Me? I'm a babygirl?" Elordi responded.

According to Gen Z, yes.

What does "babygirl" mean?

Of course, most of the people described as “babygirl” are neither babies nor girls.

The term is commonly used to describe male actors and characters who tend to fall into two "babygirl" camps: soft-spoken men who possess traditionally feminine traits, and middle-aged antiheroes.

There's even a "babygirl checklist" circulating on Twitter that provides a more detailed set of criteria.

Who is a "babygirl"?

Across various forms of social media, notable "babygirls" include Pedro Pascal, Keanu Reeves, Jacob Elordi, Bryan Cranston, Harry Styles, Kendall Roy from "Succession," Paul Mescal, and numerous K-pop stars.

Fans frequently create edit reels of these characters that highlight their "babygirl" moments.

"he's babygirl your honor," a TikTok user captioned an edit of Pedro Pascal.

Even Prime Video jumped on the trend and tweeted a "babygirl" photo of Elordi in "Saltburn."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com