The “flex” trend is being enthusiastically embraced by Vietnamese youth. The popularity of this term is evident as the group “Flex Until the Last Breath” was established, attracting significant attention from the online community, with over 1.2 million members in just about two months. Notably, the number of participants in this group is rapidly increasing every hour and shows no signs of cooling down.
“Flex” is one of the slang words in English that is frequently used by the youth, especially by rap fans on social media. According to the Oxford dictionary, “flex” means to bend (something); but in slang, “flex” means to brag excessively, which can be annoying.
Besides the question “What is Flex?”, many people are likely still wondering why the Flex trend has become so popular.
Why is the Flex trend so “hot”?
“Flex” has spread within the rap community as many famous rappers use this term in their songs. Rapper Ice Cube was the pioneer in using the word “flex” in the rap “Was A Good Day”. After that, this term was adopted by many other famous rappers like Cardi B, Drake, Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky, and more, leading to the global flexing trend.
In Vietnam, the flex trend also began with rappers using this term in their songs. Specifically, rapper 16 Typh brought the term “flex” to the forefront after incorporating it into his song Don’t Waste My Time for the Rap Viet season 1 competition. Recently, when the term “flex” reappeared in Rap Viet season 3, the Gen Z audience immediately buzzed and turned it into a trend.
Flex became even more popular with posts from a well-known journalist on social media. This person frequently shares their luxurious, extravagant lifestyle on their personal page. Initially, this made many netizens extremely uncomfortable, but later it became a trend.
The flex trend developed from the desire of individuals to showcase something special or different that they have achieved. With the creativity of the youth, flex has taken on many variations, not necessarily meant to boast or compare with others, but primarily for entertainment through charming and joyful displays that bring positive energy.
Participants in this trend include not only international students and famous singers and artists but also athletes, master’s and doctoral students working abroad. Notable figures include MC Đức Bảo, MC Khánh Vy, Hà Myo (the prominent young face of Vietnam in 2022), Miss Lương Thùy Linh; singer Hoàng Dũng, hot girl Nguyễn Lâm Thảo Tâm; and climbers from The Road to Mount Olympia…
Almost anyone can flex and show off regardless of themes such as: achievements, unique talents, meeting idols, taking photos with celebrities, billion-dollar bank accounts, impressive academic results, studying at prestigious schools, driving luxury cars, having an “8-pack” body, or simply having four unusual finger joints. Each post receives thousands to tens of thousands of likes.
Besides the humor, “flex” posts also attract attention due to the “savage” and humorous comebacks in the comments section. This is also a factor that makes “flex” appealing to many young people.
Many people believe that, from a positive perspective, this trend will motivate young people to strive, study, and train to achieve like “other people’s children”. However, excessive “flexing” can also impose invisible pressures on young individuals who are just beginning their journey of striving, studying, and have not yet achieved significant accomplishments.