CBC is on it, the Toronto Star is on it, CTV is totally on it. “It” being “cheugy,” a term from 2013 to describe intergenerational cringe and the most try-hard aspects of millennial culture, which is having a TikTok-lead resurgence Right. Now. With cheug currently dominating headlines, we figured we’d pile onto the fun with five looks at local cheuggery.
1. Spikeball on the Halifax Common
Gaby Rasson, whose claim to coining “cheugy” extends to selling it as an NFT, says it means “untrendy, out of date or trying too hard.” For Halifax, where trends typically arrive five years late, that makes cheug an integral part of local culture. Just like grabbing your net, your ball and your bros to head to the Common for a rousing game of Spikeball—as popularized on Shark Tank in 2015. Serve, spike, cheug!
2. Visiting the Luckett Vineyard phone booth
Locals who go to Annapolis Valley’s wine country are flirting with a touristy vibe. Locals who flock to the inexplicable red phone booth plonked in Luckett Vineyards are going full cheugy. Taking cliche-aware pics in destinations province-wide is High Cheug, the equivalent of a human fanny pack. Now will be a moment to remind you that in England, red phone booths should only be entered with waterproof shoes because people piss in them so much.
3. East Coast Lifestyle shirts
The standing uniform to wear on Saturdays with your boys. A shorthand way to say you really live by the philosophy “Live. Laugh. Love.” Is any overly-posed Instagram photo at Peggys Cove complete without an ECL hoodie and leggings or board shorts? Not for a cheug.
4. “Discovering” Halifax’s north end
Telling people who live here that Halifax’s north end is *actually really cool* (thanks for the memo but most gentrifiers have been making good on this perception for the last decade) is cheug. Being nervous on Gottingen Street anyway? Major suburban cheug energy. Deciding to be a total Phil Dunphy and visit the neighbourhood in the name of designer doughnuts—and then stopping at McDonald’s for coffee, because you think it’s better than Tim’s? Black belt cheugy.
5. Local media hot takes piling on to the newest oldest thing bubbling up on everyone’s socials
What?
This article appears in May 1-31, 2021.
Pretty disappointed that the Coast Editorial team even approved this condescending, patronizing, belittling article. For what? A laugh? Entertainment? I expect better from any publication representing this city. Now more than ever we need to build up our communities and those fighting to survive within them. Let’s hold space for and celebrate the people out there trying to do good things, instead of ostracizing people for their interests or businesses for their gimmicks. Speaking of others as if they are less than because of what they do or what they wear is not funny, entertaining, or endearing. Its rude and a poor show of character. Let’s be better.
Yeah… this article wasn’t it. How about liberal hipster who believe their way of living is just “cooler”? At least “cheugs” aren’t angry. Not a time to be picking apart local business and culture – whether you agree with it or not
Thanks Talia Boates… I was halfway through the article when I started to feel bad about myself. We just don’t need this vibe around here, especially not in this period of gloom and anxiety.
Ok Coast, let’s try this again… I agree with Talia and John above
People dont just go to lucketts, they go to other wineries breweries and restaurants and generate income for the valley and probably Halifax as well. In a time when we can all only travel so far I dont think its a good idea to bash people for doing something they like. Now they are going to feel silly doing so and they shouldnt. Who cares if they want to visit the valley and take a picture in a red phone booth! If that generates tourism for The Valley and beyond thats just good. Who are these two to judge? You know whats cheugy? Biting the hand that feeds you. That tourism generates income for all of Halifax as well which allows your paper to run. Not cool.
spikeball on the commons – gen z; lucketts – boomers and millenial nurses; east coast lifestyle – gross; “discovering” the north end – boomers. let’s be real
Come on, Coast editorial team!!! Why are you being so awful?! I hope you can get over whatever bad experience you had in the Luckett Vineyard phone booth and just let people enjoy all these things in peace.
6. Local media thinking it’s cool to make fun of fellow citizens and local businesses just for living their lives is “cheug”
Just an absolutely unnecessary article, dumping over local businesses and having an air of cruel judgement. The Coast has just lost a loyal reader.
Maybe it’s time this paper rethink its mission.
Was this article written by a snarky 16 year old or what?
Talia Boates, you hit the nail on the head. Disappointing that anyone would use their position as a writer/ contributor to a local newspaper to belittle people, make fun of local businesses and generally offer nothing of substance or interest to the reader. Why bother? Use your platform more responsibly perhaps?
I loved this and the butthurt yuppies in the comment section only make me love it more.
The Coast is an embarrassment and this piece of work is the defining example of that. We are in the middle of a pandemic which has hit our local businesses hard. We should be promoting them and supporting them rather than belittling them. The only thing these so called writers have accomplished is increase the view count at Urban Dictionary to figure out what a “cheug” is. Top that off with an end piece below the column begging to support The Coast. I would rather put that support towards the local businesses that two of your amateur writers slagged off. Remember, what goes around comes around and by the looks of things you are going to lose even more supporters and readers if articles like these continue to be posted. Do better Coast: scrutinize your work and think of the bigger picture before you drag the local community through the mud.
i really hope the writers at the Coast aren’t taking these comments too seriously. lol if you’re offended by what’s written in this article, maybe you should be! it’s all light-hearted jokes, something we actually need now more than ever, and nearly everyone here sounds so miserable and insecure. no wonder people in this province are a laughing stock.
what’s truly embarrassing and disappointing is how many people are sharing and liking negative comments — lighten up. it’s interesting that there are no comments here saying “this is false!!” perhaps if your local business/activities are cheugy, then they just are. there’s no need to be butthurt.
very happy that the Coast published this and is getting all this traffic from you dimwitted, dejected losers.
The Coast is cheug. Time to shut it down.