While Kim Kardashian was busy 鈥渂reaking the Internet鈥� with her controversial photoshoot for 笔补辫别谤听in November of 2014, New Zealand singer/songwriter Lorde was teaching the world鈥攐r at least her Twitter and Tumblr followers鈥攁bout a new slang use of the word mom.
How is聽尘辞尘听used on the internet?
These three little letters tweeted out by Lorde in response to Kardashian鈥檚 cover photo caused such confusion that the 18-year-old felt compelled to explain what she meant by 尘辞尘听in this particular context. On Tumblr, Lorde responded to a concerned fan who asked how could she call herself a feminist, but then judge Kardashian for being a mother and posing nude. : 鈥渋 retweeted kim鈥檚 amazing cover and wrote 鈥楳OM鈥�, which among the youthz is a compliment; it basically jokingly means 鈥榓dopt me/be my second mom/i think of you as a mother figure you are so epic.鈥欌��
It鈥檚 clear that this use of mom is not just a part of Lorde鈥檚 idiolect from a聽fan鈥檚 tweet defending her: “I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt and assuming she’s saying, like ‘omg mom.'”聽From this tweet, it鈥檚 obvious that 鈥渙mg mom鈥� (followed by a smiley face with hearts in its eyes) is very different than just calling out the fact that someone is literally a mother. 鈥淭he benefit of the doubt鈥� implies that misinterpretation is a real possibility and that mom has more senses than just the most common meaning.聽Lorde鈥檚 explanation makes it clear that the stand-alone mom can be an expression of adulation or variation on the rhetorical question, “Will you be my mom?”
How long has mom been used this way?
Here are examples from 2007 and 2010 where 鈥渂eing cool鈥� warrants the evocation of mom:
wow you're cool. can you be my mom?
— Joseph Philipson (@joephilipson)
Dear Lady Who Just Asked The Concierge If It's Okay To Carry Open Beer On The Street,
Will you be my mom?
— caprice crane (@capricecrane)
It seems like Lorde’s use of 尘辞尘听in reference to admired famous people didn’t really become widespread until the last year or two. Evidence of this trend is relatively hard to find because people predominately use the word mom or the hashtag #mom to refer to their actual moms, or to friends’ moms who they want to be their moms (often because the mommed individual has just baked something that looks delicious). It’s much more obvious that this particular use of 尘辞尘听is in play when teen girls tweet at childless celebrities like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Chloe Grace Moretz as detailed on聽. Model and actress that her fans were calling her mom.
Yes, Ruby Rose. The Internet is a confusing place, but it’s comforting to know that when lighted by the glow of our devices, anyone we admire can be our mom. All we have to do is type the word.
