Here's why Gen Zers are so obsessed with calling each other 'bestie'

Thanks for reading, bestie.

On the internet these days, everyone is “bestie” — from your true best friends to complete strangers.

What does bestie mean?

It’s not complicated, thankfully. Bestie is just a nickname for your best friend, but you can call anyone your bestie if you legitimately care about them.

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You might see “bestie” used in the comments section of a TikTok to express pride, like “looking good bestie,” or concern, like “bestie I cannot keep defending you.” Either way, it’s always playful and not intended to be condescending.

Bestie vibes only: TikTok user @tiktoshh helped popularize the term

You’ve probably at some point heard a viral sound created by @tiktoshh, a relatively anonymous user known only by her username and the moniker “Breezysmamager.”

In her most popular video to date, which was shared in January 2021, @tiktoshh says “bestie vibes only” seven times in a row, with a random “vibesy best” thrown in at the end for good measure.

More than 70,000 videos have been created using this sound.

@tiktoshh’s other videos are similar — close-up footage of her face repeating phrases addressing her bestie, often talking about having to tell them something, going to bed or waking up in the morning.

“Good night bestie goodnight bestie goodnight bestie goodnight bestie … but before I go to bed I’ve got to tell you six things,” she said in another popular video.

People then use the sound to make jokes of their own.

@tiktoshh has not responded to an interview request, but she does have a store and a YouTube channel you can check out.

One of the earliest instances of the word ‘bestie’ as a meme came about when Dixie D’Amelio used the word to describe Noah Beck

When the TikTok-famous couple was spotted together in August 2020, a paparazzo remarked that they make a beautiful couple.

“A couple of besties,” D’Amelio responded as Beck laughed.

It then became a sort of friend-zoning meme on TikTok, in which people would call their significant others “bestie.” They would also imply that close friends are “just a couple of besties,” suggesting something more.

Beck and D’Amelio are now together, for the record.

Best friendship has been a popular topic since the ‘two pretty best friends’ meme

The “two pretty best friends” meme that went viral in October 2020 also played into the trend.

TikTok star and model Jordan Scott’s viral quip inspired other users to share their pretty best friends.

“I ain’t never seen two pretty best friends,” he said in the video, smiling the whole time. “It’s always one of them gotta be ugly.”

Users mostly treated the meme as a sort of Rick-rolling prank, but it also became popular to point out that there are two pretty best friends in a group.

Altogether, the trend is pretty wholesome — and that’s rare on TikTok. Now, goodnight besties.

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If you enjoyed this story, read about what it means when TikTokers point to their arm.

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