On a platform that flits between trends at breakneck speed (remember ‘girl dinner’?), it’s the so-called ‘sassy man apocalypse’ that’s currently taking TikTok by storm. While the term originated on a separate social media site, the popularity of ‘sassy men’ on TikTok has been picking up steam of late, as users flock to the platform to share their thoughts, frustrations and joys around the internet’s newest obsession.
Like most internet trends, the ‘sassy man apocalypse’ is somewhat difficult to define, with some users taking the term as a compliment and others deeming it a symptom of problematic expectations of men. So, what exactly is a sassy man, and should we all be bunkering down while awaiting their so-called apocalypse?
TikTok’s ‘Sassy Man Apocalypse’, explained
TikTok’s For You Page will likely inform you that we’re in the midst of a ‘sassy man apocalypse’. According to Know Your Meme, the term was first coined on X (formerly Twitter) by user Yatta (@yattadondada), in August of last year. At that time, the X user simply shared a message that “we in a sassy man apocalypse.”
The tweet garnered some 35,000 likes, before its sentiment reached the TikTok algorithm around a year later, in August 2023. Now with videos at their fingertips, users shared their experiences with supposedly ‘sassy men’, which in this context describes some form of attitude, behaviour or action that is usually considered cheekily feminine.
While a definitive explanation of what makes a man sassy remains unclear, users seem to agree that you know a sassy man when you see one. The resulting videos captured an array of men behaving sassily, with behaviours like eye rolls, lip pouts, snappy retorts or photo poses being common traits associated with the sassy man.
Within this trend, a common throughline has been TikTokers describing themselves as ‘victims’ of the sassy man apocalypse. Here, users — typically in a relationship with said sassy man — share glimpses of their partner displaying considerable attitude, from side-eyes on a lunch date to pouting and posing for selfies.
Naturally, given that sassy is associated with effeminate behaviours, the trend has raised questions around whether the term is a compliment, or a symptom of gendered expectations. However, TikTok user and figurehead of the sassy man apocalypse Prayag (@444pray) seems to have taken the trend in his stride, posting a video reclaiming the term and admitting “that’s just [my] personality.”
“God wanted me to be loud and sassy,” he said. Prayag’s embracement of the term should serve as a lesson to all men described as ‘sassy’ and a reminder that, in TikTok’s eyes, men can either be someone who thinks of the Roman Empire too often, or someone who rolls their eyes. Choose your fighter.