If you’re on social media, you’ve probably heard the term ‘cheugy’ by now.
‘Cheugy’ (pronounced chew-gee) went viral after 24 year-old Hallie Cain described it as the word for the ‘type of person with millennial girl boss energy’ in a Tik Tok.
“It’s not quite ‘basic,’ which can describe someone who is a conformist or perhaps generic in their tastes, and it’s not quite ‘uncool.’ It’s not embarrassing or even always negative,” wrote New York Times reporter, Taylor Lorenz, in an article on the new word. It’s basically the opposite of trendy.
Although it’s difficult to describe exactly what chuegy is, “you know it when you see it,” Lorenz wrote.
Now, one Tik Tok user is taking cheugy to the next level. Emily Rosen says there is a specific type of cheugy that exists only within the Jewish world.
“You’ve heard of Cheugy, but have you heard of Jewgy?” she said in a Tik Tok.
Emily’s not wrong. The Jewish world has seen its fair share of cliché trends. Little blue hamsa jewelry, grapic tee’s from the shuk, Chanukah sweaters that look like Christmas sweaters… Now there’s a word for that outdated, perhaps cringey, maybe simply nostalgic aesthetic: it’s Jewgy!
So how do you know if you’re cheugy? On an Instagram story, we asked you to tell us some things that just feel ‘Jewgy.’ Based on your submissions, here’s our ultimate list of 18 things that simply are Jewgy:
And if it wasn’t already clear, this is all just silly internet banter, so let’s not take ourselves too seriously while reading this.
Classic shuk Jewelry
Snapback hats (bonus points if they are explicitly Jewish)
Nalgene water bottles — especially the ones covered in stickers
Taking photos like this.
Rainbow Challah
Any branded ‘swag’ from camp or youth group
Calling summer camp your “home away from home.”
Going to Shalvata
Graphic tee’s from the shuk including: IDF, Coca Cola in Hebrew, Israeli sports teams
The Jewish references in “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas
Taking pictures of yourself wrapping tefillin
Mesh tzizit
Kotel kissing pictures
Custom snapbacks and t-shirts from Bar and Bat Mitzvahs … Also probably most things from your Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Saying ‘yalla’ or ‘sababa’ because they’re the only Hebrew words you know
Chanukah sweaters that look like Christmas sweaters
Blundstones!?
This is a controversial one, but some of you stood firmly by it.
Did we miss anything? Let us know what you think is ‘Jewgy’ on Instagram, Twitter and Tik Tok @JewishUnpacked
Originally Published Jun 9, 2021 12:07AM EDT
