'Swag' | Teen Ink

'Swag'

March 28, 2013
By ohkneeyol94 BRONZE, Wilmington, Delaware
ohkneeyol94 BRONZE, Wilmington, Delaware
3 articles 0 photos 0 comments

“Dis… rye here… is my… swag!” Hmm, now I guess it’s possible some of you may be looking at the screen, with that head tilted to the side puppy-dog puzzled look right now. And if you are, you, sir or mam, have been withheld from pop culture for at least the last five years. And that is just sad. But today I am not here to reprimand or commend you on your lack of or knowledge of the word swag. We are here to discuss why I do not like the word. No! Not liking it understates the pure nails-on-a-chalkboard hatred that engulfs my ears every time I hear the word. I utterly and totally despise the word swag. If swag was in a desert and needed my saliva to survive, I wouldn’t give it a spit. To explain why I hate it so much, I really just need to say two words: Soulja Boy. Ughhhhh! But, to solely blame him would be irresponsible and wouldn’t hold accountability to the countless other influential pop-culture culprits who have used and continue to support that God-awful word. Names like Lil B, T.I., and Lil Wayne also come to mind.


People on the Internet have been alternating between excessive incorrect usage of the word swag and frustrating confusion over its meaning. And no, those stupid acronyms aren’t funny or accurate. I’m here to shed some light. The English definition of the word swag is an ornamental arrangement of flowers, fruit and greenery. So yes, from a linguistics point of view, the little kids online posting swag pictures sound very stupid now. Oh… you have swag do you? And what flower shop did you purchase that beautiful ‘swag’ from?

These days, swag has taken on a new meaning that is roughly summarized by the synonyms “attitude” and “style”. However, I have seen some ridiculous usages of the word swag that not only violate their English definition, but also have nothing to do with their new “definition”. As for how the word came to be used in this way, I’m not absolutely certain but based on my understanding, it originated from the LA style dance scene in which studio dancers would compliment their peers on having “swag”, which was basically the shortened form of swagger (moving with attitude and confidence).

Now, how did the word spread outside of the dance scene? Hip-hop artists like Chris Brown sometimes associate with LA dancers. Ian Eastwood choreographed for “Cat Daddy” and I’m sure many other dancers frequently work behind the scenes for singers. In addition to dancing, they adopted the LA style’s clothing and eventually, their language. That includes the word swag. These hip-hop artists then spread the word swag to the mainstream through their music. As we all know, the mainstream comprises of 99.99% vulnerable idiots lacking any sense of their own identity, and as a result, they were all quick to jump on the “cool wagon” like ignorant, mindless zombies.

Most people who use the word swag don’t actually have any. Swag is associated with money, riches, and luxury, being fresh, flashy, and fly. Like the majority of the songs emphasize, swag has a direct correlation to money and owning things that having a lot of it can buy. I don’t mind these rich people talking about having swag because if swag is associated with money, than they really do have it. It’s the no-name rappers, the college kids (who in most cases are broke), and your average person using the word that really grinds my gears. If you are not in an upper level tax bracket, I feel as though Swag should not be a part of your vocabulary.


I’m worried more than anything about this word and its effect on our society. This generation believes that having swag is a priority. They use it as an excuse. I’ve seen it myself. An idiot will drop out of school, knock up some girl, work a minimum wage job to pay for her and the child, get divorced because it’s too tough and pay child support, bounce between minimum wage jobs for the rest of his adult life, and die a lonely man. Oh, but a lonely man with “swag”, apparently. We must exterminate this word from our language so it is non-existent in future generations and does not destroy humanity.


The author's comments:
I despise when my peers use the word swag or think they need it to be cool. Let's stop the use of this annoying word!

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