White culture has been hesitant to allow too many Black voices and Black talent into mainstream media, but it never misses a moment to appropriate the terms Black culture has popularized for their own monetary gain. Whether it’s just to gain popularity or an attempt to bring in more readers, white media and white culture as a whole always sift through Black Twitter to find new content. It’s a frustrating occurrence for a community that struggles to break down barriers in mainstream media but always finds their own creative moments being utilized by the same people who are shutting them out. Here are some of the most popular Black Twitter terms that have been appropriated by white culture:
Bae
Black Twitter was sent into a serious frenzy after Time magazine published an article last summer that attempted to define the word “bae.”
“Though this word was used in the 1500s to refer to sheep sounds, today bae is used as a term of endearment, often referring to your boyfriend or girlfriend,” according to Time. “Or perhaps a prospect who might one day hold such a lofty position.”
In usual Black Twitter fashion, the online community launched a hilarious hashtag of its own to encourage Time to leave their slang terms alone. The #TimeTitles hashtag included tweets like “Who in the world is Daquan, anyway,” “Staying Woke and I’m Sleep: Narcolepsy in the Black Community,” and, one of the most retweeted titles, “Who is Felicia and why are we telling her BYE?”
NaeNae
The popular dance was created by the Atlanta rap group We Are Toonz, but it was Black Twitter that caused the dance to become a viral sensation. Unfortunately, like any Black pop culture moment, it wasn’t long before Miley Cyrus swooped in and ruined it. The former Disney star performed an awful rendition of the dance on an Australian morning show and failed to give the group any credit.
