In the ever-evolving landscape of internet culture, new slang terms and memes constantly emerge, capturing the zeitgeist and shaping online discourse. One such term that has gained significant traction in recent years is "Gigachad." But what does it mean to be a Gigachad?
Kids are saying the slang word “Gigachad” to mean “the ultimate man,” according to Urban Dictionary. Put differently, he's a handsome, alpha dude with swagger.
The term "Chad" itself has a complex history, closely associated with an online community known as incels, or involuntarily celibate men, who often harbor misogynistic beliefs and extremist ideologies. Within this subculture, Chad became a stereotype for a particular kind of ‘alpha male’: built, handsome, swaggering, and unjustly irresistible to women (who were referred to using a sexist counterpart stereotype of Stacey). In this subculture, Chad and Stacey became used in memes and other content, bitterly attacking their perceived antagonists.
The slang term Chad is based on the male given name Chad. In the early 2000s it began to be used as a humorous generic term for a stereotypical frat boy or jock, and also as a slang insult with the meaning “loser, idiot, jerk.”
The development and use of Chad is closely associated with an online community known as incels, involuntarily celibate men associated with misogynistic beliefs and extremist ideologies. Within the incel community online, Chad remains used to disparage men and women blamed for various grievances. For example: “Women say they are attracted to sensitive guys, but they all just want Chads.” This use of Chad may be considered offensive due to this community’s connection to misogyny and violent extremist incidents.
Read also: Unpacking the Asian Giga Chad Phenomenon
Outside of the incel community, it may be used as a mild insult for behavior associated with a hypermasculine or heedlessly cocky man (“That Chad took credit for my idea in the meeting”). The use of Chad varies greatly based on speaker and context. While often used as a noun, it is also sometimes used attributively (‘chad behavior’), functioning more like an adjective.
“Gigachad is based on this concept of being a ‘Chad’ which means you’re just this typical gym bro that’s focused on your physical appearance,” Lindsay said in his video. “And then the word ‘Giga’ means extreme or doing something to an exceptionally high level.”
The Rise of GigaChad
GigaChad is the ultimate Chad-the hypermasculine ideal, the alpha, the most confident meme of a man you’ll find on the internet. What is a GigaChad? The GigaChad meme takes the Chad moniker-that of a big dumb confident man-and ramps it up by a billion (giga). Everybody knows that if you post a GigaChad picture, your opinion is correct.
From giga- + Chad (“a very attractive man”). In the early 2020s, the word developed a positive sense, used to praise a man seen as impressive-though often traditionally masculine-in some way.
The GigaChad, Masculinity, and Western Decline: The Psychology Behind the Meme
The Origin of the GigaChad Image
GigaChad meme history: The image that became known as GigaChad is the fruit of an art project called sleekntears, created by the artist Krista Sudmalis. At the time, the person wasn’t known as GigaChad.
Read also: The GigaChad Phenomenon
“Years of Bogdanoff research into genetic augmentation has finally yielded fruit,” reads the post, referencing the Bogdanoff twins, a pair of French celebrity brothers who became memes themselves for their extreme, plastic surgery-altered features. “Behold, the Gigachad. The perfect human specimen destined to lead us against the reptilians.
But while Khalimov has become the public, chiseled face of GigaChad, the real story is more complicated than that. Evidence for that idea (aside from his cartoonish, bicycle-pumped muscles) includes the fact that there are no behind-the-scenes photos of GigaChad’s model like there are for the other models in Sudmalis’ series, as pointed out in an article by Dude Products.
Artur Farad, a fitness model, is a likely candidate for being the real inspiration. A look on his Instagram account shows he does bear a real resemblance to the impossibly square-jawed model.
Despite the unlikelihood of Khalimov being a real person, the ruse has been maintained over the years. After the GigaChad picture initially went viral, berlin.1969 responded to the attention with a friendly post thanking his fans for the attention.
“Must admit I’m shocked that there are so many of you and that you are not negative … I have nothing to say to you, probably because I look much more interesting from your words,” he wrote. “It’s very flattering and overshadows my commonness. Thanks for the kind words. Thank you for the positive energy. don’t doubt guys I mentally return it to you. Take your time and keep calm. Take care of yourself and your loved ones … Yours faithfully.
Read also: Cultural Impact of Giga Chad Jesus
“gigachad is real, and humble and he seems like a pretty nice guy. he’s an actual Chad,” wrote one redditor in response.
Gigachad and Looksmaxing
“Gigachad” is connected to “looksmaxing” a beauty trend that Urban Dictionary says is the “physical improvement of a person’s body - in terms of development of facial features or muscular improvement - in order to make oneself more attractive or easier to like.”
The “looksmaxing” movement has churned out Gen Z trends like “mewing," in which teens stick their tongues on the roofs of their mouths, believing it firms up their jawline (it doesn’t, according to the American Association of Orthodontists). But wait, there’s more: If you attempt to engage a teen in conversation while they are "mewing," they “shush” you, then drag their finger along their own jawline. I’m mewing. Still here? “They have achieved ultimate alpha ‘sigma’ status due to their prominent chin and their good looks which they got from ‘mewing.’ So, a Gigachad is just the next iteration of being ‘sigma’ which just means that you’re the best of the best of the best - the ultimate gym bro.”
The Perception of GigaChad's Attractiveness
Despite GigaChad being held up as a masculine ideal, this photoshopped take on an allegedly highly attractive specimen actually doesn’t seem to be all that appealing to women at all.
According to a survey of both men and women done by DatePsychology.com, women ultimately rated the GigaChad images as “below average” looking. In fact, men rated him notably higher-a 4.88 average on a 7.0 scale, compared to women’s 3.58.
| Group | Average Rating (out of 7) |
|---|---|
| Men | 4.88 |
| Women | 3.58 |
The Chad Face Trend
What is ‘Chad Face‘? The Chad Face (also referred to as the Gen Z lip sync face), is a social media trend in which men emulate the facial structure of the hyper-masculine GigaChad.
This included “mewing,” which is a tongue and mouth exercise meant to help with the type of jawline definition seen on the GigaChad. Gen Alpha amended traditional mewing to include a “shushing” gesture and a tracing of the jawline with a finger, indicating they wanted to remain silent.
Modern Interpretations of GigaChad
Some still see him as the ultimate alpha who can never be wrong. And to some, being a real GigaChad just means being positive and trusting in yourself.
Another variation of the meme has GigaChad reacting to country names like Georgia, Turkey, or Hungary by acting like they aren’t the names of countries but are other places, nouns, or adjectives. Think it’s stupid?
Average Fan vs. Riffing on the idea that posting an image of GigaChad automatically makes everything you say correct, a smiling devil-may-care version of the meme was integrated into the popular Average Fan vs.
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