The internet is a breeding ground for memes, and among the most iconic is the "Brad vs. Chad" meme. This meme, along with its variations, has permeated online culture, sparking countless discussions and humorous takes. Understanding the origin and evolution of this meme requires a look into the characters themselves and the cultural context from which they emerged.
The "Virgin vs. Chad" meme emerged in 2016 from the publication of a meme on the social network 4chan.
On March 25, 2017, an anonymous user on the 4Chan board, r9k, made the original "The Virgin Walk." Shortly thereafter, another anonymous user posted the now-famous "The Chad Stride" image in response to the Virgin Walk.
The categories of "Virgin" and "Chad" emerged in 2016 from the publication of a meme on the social network 4chan.
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Let's delve into the characteristics and origins of these figures.
Chad: The Epitome of Dominance
Chad is the counterpart of the Virgin and the most iconic character in the Chadiverse. He is known for his comically dominant stride, athletic physique, triangular hair, big bulge and bright neon clothing. Chad is a symbol of the superior form of existence according to his virgin counterparts, as he lacks any and all social constraints and is able to converse with anyone for hours.
He has a charming demeanour and can capture the hearts of almost anyone he encounters with his witty humour and he always has a story or anecdote for any occasion. Chad is a master of pickup artistry, passed down by his father, Dad. He has lost count of how many Stacies he has banged long ago. He has a penthouse but has not been inside it in years, since he is always out partying or doing other chadly stuff.
Chad is blessed with an Essence of Chad, the focal point of all their chadliness. Chad is the simplest character of the Chadiverse, and is the majority of inhabitants. In full cast memes, Chad is Chadlier than Basic and Brad.
He is typically seen doing or representing absurd, ballsy, outlandish, things in contrast to the Virgin, who represents normal, inhibited, or mundane things. Chad's notable features include his beetle-like stride, triangular hair, physique, bulge, and iconic clothing, most famously his $3000 Giuseppe Zanoti highlighter boots, which always stay on.
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Brad: The Try-Hard Poseur
Brad is a poseur that tries to be like Chad superficially, but fails, and just ends up looking like a massive Jerkass. He lacks Chad's charisma and his attempts to replicate Chad's self-confident swagger come off as cruel and petty. He's modeled after the traditional image of one, down to wearing letterman jackets.
He bullies Virgins and Basics out of insecurity. He's mentioned to have no real friends. He constantly looks anxious and angry. Even worse than Virgin; his penis is completely absent.
Most memes will include at least one good or cool thing about him.
The Names Behind the Memes
According to Indiana University linguistics professor Michael Adams, the negative association we have with the names Brad and Chad is a story as old as America itself. Brad is often short for Bradford, which started as a surname and is of Scottish-English origin, Adams says, reading from A Dictionary of Surnames. The name crossed the pond in the late 16th century with the establishment of the first English colonies on American soil.
William Bradford was one of the original Pilgrims, coming to New England on the Mayflower, and eventually serving as governor of the Plymouth Colony. Either way, over centuries, the name Bradford became synonymous with New England aristocracy - so much so that women with the maiden name Bradford started naming their sons Bradford, to advertise that they were from the Bradford lineage.
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Chad has an even more circuitous journey into the modern lexicon. Like Bradford, it’s Anglo-Saxon, but it started as a first name: Ceadda (pronounced “chadda”). The most popular Ceadda in history is probably, Saint Ceadda, abbot of Lastingham, bishop of York and Lichfield and the man credited with “the Christianization of the ancient English kingdom of Mercia.” But today he’s known as Saint Chad, or Chad of Mercia.
From Ceadda came Chadwick, which was a rough portmanteau of Ceadda and “wick,” an Old English word for town, Adams says. How Chadwick came to America is unclear, but Adams guesses the Chadwicks were among some of the earliest English settlers in America. And just like the Bradfords, they named their sons Chadwick to maintain the prestige of their bloodline. Eventually, it was truncated to Chad.
But it wasn’t until recently that the names carried a negative connotation. Chad, too, reached its cultural zenith in 2000, when it was the 236th most popular name for boys. But like Brad, by 2016, it had fallen out of favor, checking in at number 800.
All the while, people online had started clowning on Brad and Chad. For instance, many of the results for Brad on Urban Dictionary are ironic paeans to Brad’s superiority.
Adams says our cultural fascination with Brad and Chad may lie in the similar phonetics of their names. Elongate the “A” in Brad and Chad, and suddenly it becomes a way to mock men with those names.
For his part, Adams has had several Brads and Chads in his Indiana University classroom. “The Brads and Chads I’ve taught have never been at the top of the class, grades-wise. They usually sit in the back of the classroom. And while I can’t give you accurate statistics on their fraternity participation, they were certainly that type,” he says.
The Evolution of the Chadiverse
The "Virgin vs. Chad" meme has spawned a whole universe of characters, each representing different aspects of the original concept:
- Thad: Superior to even Chad, the elusive Thad is a cool, mysterious character.
- Lad: A disturbingly overdone Chad, Lad has turned so Chadly, he's worse than even the Virgin.
- Bruce: An Australian and the definition of manliness.
- Bad: An overlord on a throne who speaks telepathically.
- Gad: The God of the Chadiverse, Gad represents the most absurd and exaggerated way of doing something.
- Shlad: "Zoo wee mama this is epic. now my parents will finally love me" A mix of Chad and a Tonka truck. He bangs lots of Stacies.
Characters Between Virgin and Chad
- Versus/V.S.: You know how the meme is "Virgin VS. Chad"? It turns out that Versus is his own character.
- Basic: A regular guy, for memes where that doesn't apply to the Virgin.
- Cad: A scam artist with a 20s-60s vibe. He comes up with get-rich-quick schemes and has it in for Chad.
Virgin Tier Characters
- Wizard: A character that takes everything bad about the Virgin, and takes it up a notch...
These characters add layers of complexity and humor to the meme, allowing for endless variations and interpretations.
The slang term Chad has historically been applied in different contexts. The term has come into use in incel forums and as internet slang to refer to sexually active, supposedly genetically superior men, or "alpha males". Within the manosphere and internet culture, Chads are generally viewed as constituting the top decile in terms of genetic fitness. In online animation drawings in the manosphere, a Chad is often depicted as a muscular blond man with very pronounced masculine features.
The "Virgin vs Chad" meme has become a cultural phenomenon, reflecting and satirizing societal perceptions of masculinity, success, and social interaction. Its enduring popularity speaks to its ability to resonate with a wide audience, providing both humor and a critical lens through which to view the world.
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