Can I Call My Friend Bae? A Deep Dive into the Meaning and Implications of This Modern Slang Term - 33rd Square (2024)

As an avid consumer of pop culture and technology trends, I‘ve watched with fascination over the past decade as certain slang terms have exploded onto the scene, dominated youth vernacular for a few years, and then slowly faded back into obscurity.

One of the most peculiar examples of this pattern is the word "bae." For a while it seemed everyone was calling their romantic partners, crushes, and even close friends "bae." But lately it seems to have gone out of style.

So does this mean you shouldn‘t use bae anymore? Can you still get away with calling a close friend bae platonically? Should we retire this slang altogether?

As a tech insider and language enthusiast, I decided to dig deeper into the meaning, history, and implications of bae as a term of endearment. Read on for a comprehensive crash course on whether and when you can call your friend bae!

What Does Bae Actually Mean?

First, a quick linguistics lesson. The word bae is generally considered to be either:

• An abbreviation of "babe" or "baby"
• Short for "before anyone else"

It functions grammatically as a noun or a verb. For example:

• "Stacy is my bae" (noun)
• "I totally baed Brian last night" (verb meaning to make someone your significant other)

Bae is used mostly as a playful term of endearment between romantic partners. But it can also imply very close platonic friendship.

The Origins and History of Bae as Slang

Unlike a lot of modern slang, bae doesn‘t appear to trace back to old English or even African American Vernacular English (AAVE) specifically. The earliest linguistic evidence for its use as endearment slang comes from hip hop, rap, and R&B artists in the mid 2000s.

For example, rappers like Lil Wayne and Trey Songz dropped "bae" in lyrics as early as 2008. It also popped up frequently in Black internet culture memes at the time.

From this niche slang origin, bae exploded into mainstream conversation by 2013. Google searches for the term peaked in 2014. It became commonplace for youth and even adults to refer to romantic partners and crushes as "bae" on social media and in real life conversations.

The Quick Rise and Fall of Bae in Pop Culture

But like most youthful slang crazes, bae‘s ubiquity was short-lived. By 2016 searches had already declined significantly. Today it‘s considered relatively outdated vernacular, especially compared to modern slang like "no cap" or "goated."

So why did bae fall out of favor so fast in the late 2010s? As a language insider, my theory is oversaturation. Once bae became widely known and adopted by the masses, it lost its cool factor among teens and young adults. There‘s less fun in saying a slang term once your parents and teachers use it too!

But there may be more behind bae‘s fast downfall…

Bae‘s Underlying Romantic and Flirtatious Connotations

Here‘s the key fact about bae that makes it tricky to use platonically: the term has inherently romantic or flirtatious undertones.

Calling someone bae subtly implies you find them physically attractive and are at least open to some type of romantic entanglement with them.

Think about it – have you ever heard someone use bae to refer to their grandmother or little brother? Probably not. This is a slang endearment reserved for people you potentially want to date or sleep with. That‘s important context for understanding platonic uses of bae between friends.

Explicitly Romantic vs Ambiguously Platonic Bae

Of course, bae can be used explicitly to flirt as well. Here are some examples of clearly romantic/flirty bae usage:

• Referring to your significant other as your bae
• Calling someone "bae" while asking them out
• Using pickup lines like "are you from Jamaica? Because you‘re my bae-by!"

But bae starts getting tricky when used between platonic friends. Sometimes it‘s intended harmlessly as just a synonym for "bestie." But other times it hints at underlying chemistry and attraction between the two friends.

This ambiguity causes a lot of confusion and mixed signals!

The Platonic Friend "Bae" Quandary

Imagine this scenario:

You have an attractive female friend who starts playfully calling you "bae" when you hang out. You don‘t currently have romantic feelings for her.

How should you interpret this? Is it just friendly banter or is she trying to flirt?

Unfortunately, there‘s no easy answer, because using bae platonically is inherently contradictory. Your attractive female friend may truly mean bae in a purely platonic way…or she might actually be hinting that she wants to date you.

You can‘t tell just from the term itself. You have to look for other signs of her intentions based on context.

Signs Bae Is Being Used Flirtatiously vs Platonically

Because bae is so romantically charged, I advise proceeding with caution anytime a platonic friend uses it with you. Look for these signs to gauge whether they mean it flirtatiously or platonically:

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For example, if your female friend calls you bae once in a silly voice while you‘re hanging out with a group, it‘s likely platonic. But if she uses it frequently when you‘re alone together while holding intense eye contact, she‘s probably flirting.

Pay close attention to context clues like these if you‘re unsure whether a bae friend is feeling romantic or not. Which brings us to…

Can I Call My Female Friend Bae Back? Should I Flirt or Friendzone?

This is always a tricky situation to navigate. Here are my tips if an attractive female friend initiates bae with you first:

1. Consider Your Own Interest Level

Do you secretly have a crush on this friend? Or are you 100% disinterested romantically?

If you do like her back, you can reciprocate slightly flirty bae energy to test the waters. But don‘t immediately ask her out – build romantic tension gradually to avoid embarrassment.

If you‘re adamant about just staying friends, use more friendzone phrases in response to her bae comments:

• "Aww thanks friend!"
• "You‘re the sister I never had!"

This conveys affection but not attraction.

2. Monitor Her Reactions Closely

No matter your interest level, pay very close attention to how she responds to your replies.

• Does she seem disappointed if you say something platonic back?
• Does she beam and get more touchy-feely if you flirt in response?

Her reactions here give away whether she intended bae flirtatiously and wants something romantic to develop. Adjust your responses accordingly.

3. Have an Honest Friend Conversation

If you‘re still genuinely confused about her intentions after a while, consider politely discussing it:

"So, you‘ve been calling me bae a lot lately. I know some people use that platonically but others mean it flirtatiously. Just wanted to check – did you have any extra meaning behind it or nah?"

This gives her a chance to clarify if it‘s just a friendship nickname or something more without putting her on the spot too aggressively.

Being direct is advisable once bae gets thrown around extensively between two close friends. Don‘t let uncertainty simmer. Clear communication can save the friendship!

Bae in LGBTQ+ Friendships – Additional Nuances

Up to this point, I‘ve focused on male/female bae dynamics. But what about same-sex friendships? Bae can get even more complicated here.

Some key thoughts:

• Between two female friends, bae may signal either very close platonic friendship or hidden romantic feelings. Look for other flirting signs.

• For two male friends, bae use is likely joking or sarcastic rather than serious flirting. But again, pay attention to context.

• For LGBTQ+ friends of any gender, bae has the same ambiguity around romance vs platonic intent. Flirty subtext is possible in any close same-sex friendship so tread carefully.

• If you‘re LGBTQ+ and call someone bae who doesn‘t know your sexual orientation, they may wrongly assume you mean it platonically. Consider clarifying your intentions if you do want to flirt.

The main takeaway: bae is tricky for all friendships, but especially same-sex ones where platonic and romantic lines often blur. Proceed with thoughtfulness!

Should We Retire Bae Altogether?

Given all these complications, you may be wondering…should we just retire bae as slang altogether?

My stance as a linguistic trailblazer is no – as annoyingly confusing as bae can be, language evolves organically. Retiring terms forcibly feels overly prescriptivist.

However, I do think bae should fade from use between platonic friends. It‘s just too romantically charged for platonic usage to not get messy. If you must say bae platonically, only do so very occasionally, lightly, and ironically.

For flirting with clear romantic intent, bae is fine, but know it‘s no longer considered the freshest slang term. You‘ll impress your future sweetheart more with cutting-edge lingo like " snatched" or "cheugy."

And regardless of context, use bae sparingly rather than 10 times in one conversation. Even the coolest slang loses its impact rapidly with overuse.

Conclusion – Bae with Caution Between Friends

I hope this deep dive has shed light on the complex modern history and usage implications of bae as an endearing slang term. To summarize:

• Bae arose in hip hop but exploded everywhere in the 2010s before fading fast

• It has inherently romantic/flirty undertones even in platonic contexts

• Look for contextual clues if a friend calls you bae – could be platonic but also may be flirting

• Reciprocate flirtily if you‘re interested, but stay platonic if not

• Consider having an open conversation about bae intent to clear confusion

• Use bae sparingly and ironically between true platonic friends

• But bae can still be used sincerely in dating scenarios

• Just know it‘s an outdated term at this point!

I hope these bae "best practices" help you navigate any confusing situations involving bae dropped platonically between friends or as a flirty slang term with romantic interests. This tech geek and pop linguistics expert says you can call a close friend bae on occasion, but proceed with thoughtful nuance!

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