'Today Show' anchors ruin 'on fleek' for everybody
LatestIn what was mostly a reminder that we’re only teens for a short amount of time, the Today Show quizzed its anchors on current popular teen terminology. Watching Al Roker fumble over what “good thing” “on fleek” means was the highlight of my morning.
This quiz is thanks in part to this recent “I’m a cool mom” language quiz from The New York Times:
Ugh.
It’s always enjoyable watching the olds try to understand the words younger generations use. It does seem, though, that once it reaches the national morning show circuit (something pretty much zero teens ever see), it’s safe to say the term is on its way out.
At the end of the Today segment, they called back to some popular phrasing that has since faded into obscurity:
Groovy is from that Brady Bunch Snickers commercial, right?
“On fleek” was introduced on a decidedly smaller scale, on a mostly unknown Vine account in summer of 2014. In the 6-second video, a girl boasts about looking good and having eyebrows “on fleek.” Since then it’s been everywhere, from shirts and hats to verses on Nicki Minaj’s The Pinkprint. We’re really hoping it’s not over for good, but if NYT and the Today show are any indication, “on fleek” is close to “off fleek.”
Akilah Hughes is a comedian, YouTuber, and staff writer and producer for Fusion’s culture section. You can almost always find her waxing poetic about memes and using too many emojis.