Slang dictionary
thirst trap
摆听thurst trap ]
What does聽thirst trap聽mean?
Set a scene, get the right angle, reveal a little thigh, and聽snap!聽A thirst trap is a sexy photo posted on social media to attract attention. It can聽also refer to a person considered sexy鈥攁 social-media crush.
Where does thirst trap come from?
Posting seductive images on social sites like Instagram, where the thirst trap is best known, is nothing new. The name for the practice, though, appears on Twitter and Urban Dictionary by 2011, drawing on thirsty, slang for “thirsting for attention,” and trap in the sense of “lure.”
Emerging from selfie culture, the well-staged聽thirst trap聽is a provocative photo, often with a coy or confident caption, that will trap (attract) thirst (attention, in the form of comments, likes, etc.). On Instagram, they are often hashtagged “#ThirstTrapThursdays.” What’s the point of posting if no one is going to notice?
By 2016, thirst traps had become such a thing that popular publications from BuzzFeed to Vibe compiled year-end “Best Thirst Traps” of celebrities, including Drake, LL Cool J, Kim Kardashian, and Serena Williams.
In his 2018 collection, makeup guru Jeffree Star even featured a shade of lipstick he dubbed聽thirst trap.
Examples of thirst trap
Who uses thirst trap?
罢丑别听thirst trap聽has evolved since its early social days. A thirst trap can refer to a sexy post itself. It can also refer to a good-looking person in general. Everyone from Cardi B to the Canadian Prime Minister have been called thirst traps聽thanks to their photogenic looks.
He's a thirst trap. He's a father. We'll love him Thor-ever.
— E! News (@enews)
To thirst trap聽is “to post an alluring photo” or “act in an attention-seeking manner.”
Thirst trap can have a positive or negative connotation (e.g., OMG your thirst trap got you so many likes! or That thirst trap was obvious and extra). Thirst traps, which are posted by men and women alike,聽have a reputation for targeting the attention of a specific person, such as an ex-partner or romantic interest.
As the slang has spread,聽thirst trap is sometimes used for humorous effect online.
He's a thirst trap. He's a father. We'll love him Thor-ever.
— E! News (@enews)
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of thirst trap like most terms we define on 亚洲网紅露点, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of thirst trap that will help our users expand their word mastery.