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When you think of polyester, you probably just think of the fabric. But, in true Gen Z fashion, they’ve decided to keep us all on our toes by taking a perfectly innocent word and giving it a whole new meaning (and it’s not something you want to be called).
Across social media, 'polyester' has officially entered Gen Z’s vocabulary, becoming a surprisingly new way to call something cheap, generic, overly manufactured, or simply inauthentic.
Before "polyester" became a way to describe a person or a lifestyle, it was already being thrown around on TikTok to roast a very specific kind of video edit.
The so-called "polyester edits" typically featured characters like Spider-Man, with chaotic montages of rapidly flashing clips. The clips generally contained intense music and a huge dose of effects.
@cosmitical_ Original Polyester edit | follow 🙏 #polyester #edit #spiderman #viral #trending
Now, “polyester” is being used to throw shade at people and the way they live. One viral TikTok, highlighted by USA Today, featured an 18-year-old sharing his vision of his dream adult life. The internet, however, had other thoughts, with the top comment simply reading "polyester lifestyle" and racking up just under 50,000 likes.
According to Madeline Enos, language trends expert at Preply, "The popularity of the viral insult ‘polyester’ reflects a wider Gen Z preference for authenticity over polished perfection online."
"What makes the term particularly interesting linguistically is how quickly a familiar word can take on a new meaning. It’s another example of language constantly adapting to how people communicate, with social media giving new expressions space to spread."
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