Lingo Lab: Almond Mom, the Ick and Short King!

What the Kids Are Saying

Somehow it’s already mid-September, hotter than ever, we’re covered in mosquito bites and in a perfect place to do a deep-dive into some of the terms we’ve come across and we are wondering if the kids are actually using. In today’s lingo lab we will be talking about almond mom, the ick, and short king!

On this journey we learned some unexpected things:

• One of these terms is throwing all the way back to Ally McBeal days

• Subarus may be coming across a lil different than you thought

• And even 15-year-olds know it’s important to keep the men humble

We also learned that short king has a few different uses. Are we about to head home and call the gentlemen that we’re into short kings? Nah. Should you? Maybe!

We talked to three youths ranging from 15 to 21 to see if we could get our finger on that dang pulse.

Almond Mom

Becca: Ok SO almond mom is like those grain-free moms, super judgey about weight.. think women who eat a single almond as a snack and claim they’re full.

Sarah: I know this term, it’s used a bit (only in the right context though) it basically relates to a mom who will say things like “oof no I cant eat rn, I had 3 almonds for breakfast and am STUFFED” Usually people comment on how almond moms glorify eating disorders with their kids cause of their eating habits. I do use this term, not relating to anyone I know but more commenting on certain internet personalities. Similar to granola mom, which is an almond mom to the EXTREME. Everything has to be organic.

Becca: Granola moms drive Subarus, use holistic medicine, shop at Whole Foods and hike a ton.

Lilah: Moms are so eating disorder coded when they low key encourage you to starve and think it’s all good.

A note from Emily & Deanna: We don’t know moms that eat one single almond and claim they are full. Or that had 3 almonds for breakfast and are STUFFED. We hope someone is keeping close watch on these scant almond eating gals! That’s tough.

The truth is this term sparked a long chat for us because we were raised in diet culture and none of us escaped those issues! We think it’s wonderful that the youths can now poke fun at it when they see it — calling it out, and calling us in. We were brought up drinking Tab and eating sleeves of Snackwells thinking we were doing it all right. It gets complicated! But now we know food is not the enemy. Obviously, we do know the almond mom type, and we’re happy we have the term.

When pressed for an example of an almond mom Sarah provided…JULIA ROBERTS. We did not see that coming. (We had our money on Gwynnie, baby.)

Please enjoy this fine example of the youths making fun of almond moms!

@thatcrunchymomkatePov: you’re going to costco with a crunchy mom 🤪😂 #funny #crunchymom #crunchy #costco #funnymom #pov

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ADVANCED APPLICATION:

Just when you think we’ve moved past disordered eating and into body positivity, almond mom enters the chat.

Enjoy this HTBLO throwback! The term “almond mom” reminded us of when we spoke with Katie Dalebout about Orthorexia in 2016.

The Ick

Becca: The ick is something (usually about a potential crush or partner) that makes you cringe - usually associated with imagining them doing embarrassing things (ex: imagining my boyfriend running out of toilet paper and doing that waddle off the toilet … gives me the major ick).

Sarah: This is a fun one. It is used often as well but I’ve noticed a switch from the ick to red, green and beige flags recently. The ick is basically when a man (this word can be used for women too but often it’s for men) does something random that just doesn’t sit right with you. It’s usually not a pet peeve and is relatively small. So like an ick could be when a man double texts within ten minutes. I use this one often.

A question from Emily and Deanna: Is there always the ick? Or is a healthy relationship one without any of the ick? Is the goal to find someone that doesn’t want to peace-out after witnessing the throne waddle? Feel free to comment below.

A quick search led us to a recent Cosmopolitan article that said this term was first coined by Ally in the show Ally McBeal. The article defines the ick saying, “You might feel suddenly repulsed, put off or cringed out by the person you’re dating - that’s “the ick” talking.” We love the ick and love even more that it’s just good old fashioned intuition keeping us all safe and sound.

Short King

Becca: Short king is used to describe a really short man (usually 5’8 and under but that’s subjective)

Sarah: Another slay. Basically its a term used for any man under 5’8 as a term of endearment but also sorta poking fun. You can call a short guy a short king as a friendly poke fun or call a tall dude a short king to mess with their ego and confidence. Pretty multi-use. I love this phrase and use it FREQUENTLY. If one of my male friends asked me to reach something on a higher shelf I would say something like “Aw, of course short king” to poke fun at them for being short but it’s funny, not rude.

Lilah: yassss men are so easy to make insecure so u call them short kings to keep em humble.

Application Complication: We are concerned that men over 30 do not know the term “short king.” It sounds like a real hoot but how will it land, with say, our ophthalmologist? Hard to say. Deanna and Emily have always been fine with dating a short king and are happy that they are getting their time to shine. Side note: Is the word ophthalmologist doing too much? Feels like there are 3 additional letters in there weighing down the word.

Also, Emily drives a Subaru and adores hiking. In fact, her short king proposed marriage on a hike. Is she an almond mom? That’s giving us the ick. Something feels suspicious here!

Finally, please enjoy Corporate Natalie she is our spirit animal 🤣. It’s giving brilliant.

corporatenatalie

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