Serving cunt
Serving cunt is a vulgar slang term meaning to behave in a feminine manner. A derivative of the word cunt, the phrase first became popular among participants of ball culture, with Black trans women and queer people using it as an adjective to suggest feminine superiority. The phrase achieved mainstream popularity in the 2010s and enjoyed bursts of popularity in the early 2020s before becoming a meme in 2023.
Background
[edit]The word "cunt" is derived from proto-Germanic, though beyond this its etymology is uncertain (a link with Latin cunnus 'vagina' has been proposed, but is not widely accepted). In the medieval period, the word was not considered objectionable, and appeared in street names, surnames, and medical texts (Chaucer used "queynte" in The Canterbury Tales[1]). However, in the modern period, the word became an obscenity, subject to censorship or euphemism.[2] The word "cunt" did not appear in the Oxford English Dictionary until 1972, having been censored out of previous editions;[3] its most recent edition describes the word as "an exceptionally strong swear word".[2] Writing in May 2023, David Mack of Rolling Stone described the word as "the most offensive word in the English language" and suggested that this was due to misogynistic associations, and the sharp sounds at either end of the word. The word began to be reappropriated through ball culture, with Black trans women and queer people using it and "pussy" as adjectives to suggest feminine superiority.[4]
Popularity
[edit]"I think a phrase like "serving cunt" is an affirmation. It's a form of recognition of having crossed a really difficult threshold of not just a beautiful look or a really well put together face of makeup, but a bigger question. It's hitting a really high mark in terms of one's appearance, one's attitude and presence, in a way that is meant to have a positive transformation on the self. It's part of achieving a higher state of being that can be something really important for people who are queer or trans."
The phrase "serving cunt" became popular in the 2010s and was used to praise female celebrities and fictional characters;[5] the phrase's first use on the internet was in the title of a 2011 YouTube video of a drag queen, "Black Queen Serves Cunt".[6] The phrase received a further boost in 2021 after the phrase "she lived she served cunt then she died" began trending. In March and April 2023, "serving cunt" converged with the phrase "in a god-honouring way", a phrase previously used by conservative Christians.[5] That May, Twitter users began asking how to "serve cunt" in specific situations, such as "in a way that tracks dramaturgically", "in a way that supports public transportation" or "in an academic way",[7] and many users took the opportunity to list instances of fictional characters looking attractive during unusual events.[5] The virality of "serving cunt" also came after the phrase "the director said cut but [insert term] heard cunt" became popular on Twitter.[8]
Writing that month, Stephen Johnson of Lifehacker described "serving cunt" as "a celebratory phrase meaning "to be powerful in an unapologetic and feminine manner"".[9] The following month, Mashable's Christianna Silva defined "serving cunt" as "the ability to portray great realness regardless of gender" and wrote that those doing so were "slaying beyond comparison"[10] and Amelia Abraham of ArtReview wrote that the phrase's popularity was timely as women's rights were receding and queerphobia and transphobia were increasing.[3] Christian Ilbury of The Conversation wrote in December 2023 that many were using it without knowledge of its roots[11] and Rolling Stone listed it at number four on "The 21 Most Defining Memes of 2023".[12]
Elaine Lui wrote in July 2024 that "serving cunt is one of the highest compliments you can give a person these days" and lamented the word's unpopularity with advertisers.[13] Many people googled the phrase in February 2025 after the BBC announced that it would not play Miriana Conte's "Kant", Malta's entry for that year's Eurovision Song Contest, due to the presence of a homophone of the phrase;[14] following a complaint from the corporation, the EBU ordered that its title and lyrics were changed.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ E.g., "The Miller's Tale", line 90.
- ^ a b "cunt". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/OED/4705374347. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ a b "What Power Does the Word 'Cunt' Still Hold?". artreview.com. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ a b Mack, David (2023-05-15). "The C-Word Is Everywhere Right Now -- And Not in a Bad Way". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ a b c Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (2023-05-16). "The 'serving c*nt' meme, explained". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ Cavender, Elena (2023-06-01). "From delulu to rizz, 2023's most viral internet slang defined". Mashable. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
- ^ Silva, Christianna (2023-05-16). "Twitter users are serving c*nt in a way that reclaims the word". Mashable. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ "Serving C*nt – How The Internet Is Reclaiming The C-Word". HuffPost UK. 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ Johnson, Stephen (2023-05-19). "The Out-of-Touch Adults' Guide to Kid Culture: Why Is Everyone 'Serving C*nt' on Social Media?". Lifehacker. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ Cavender, Elena (2023-06-01). "From delulu to rizz, 2023's most viral internet slang defined". Mashable. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
- ^ Ilbury, Christian (2023-12-28). "They're serving what?! How the c-word went from camp to internet mainstream". The Conversation. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ "Serving Cunt". Rolling Stone Australia. 2023-12-10. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ Lainey (2024-07-09). "Zoë Kravitz responds thoughtfully to having to change the title of her movie from Pussy Island to Blink Twice". www.laineygossip.com. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
- ^ "Can we please stop calling criticism 'hate speech'?". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ Oltermann, Philip (2025-03-05). "No kant do: Eurovision bars Malta's entry over title's similarity to C-word". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-03-05.