“Northumberland Zoo hits different,” said one of its directors,Brian Bradley, who, alongside his wifeLinda, posted a clip promoting their establishment using a variety ofGen Z termsin an extremely nonchalant manner.
HighlightsA boomer couple’s use of Gen Z slang to promote Northumberland Zoo went viral, delighting viewers on Instagram and TikTok.The couple’s tour featured terms like ‘slay’ and ‘main character energy,’ though they were unaware of the meanings, adding to the humor.The video surpassed 5.3 million views on TikTok, showcasing the couple’s hilarious and confused attempt at using Gen Z lingo.
The video was a hit with audiences, as it went viral on both Instagram and TikTok since being uploaded last Friday (September 6), with netizens loving the confused couple’s attempt at using Gen Z lingo.
“I don’t know where Northumberland is but I’m on my way!” said one of their new fans.
RELATED:
A senior couple’s hilarious use of Gen Z slang to promote Northumberland Zoo went viral as they gave a tour of the premises, dropping phrases like “brat” and “slay” with total sincerity
Image credits:northumberlandzoo
According to Maxine Bradley, the couple’s 35-year-old daughter, the seemingly simple1-minute videotook more than two hours to film.
“We didn’t give my parents any information upfront as we wanted their genuine reactions and plain-faced pronunciations when they said thewords. They still don’t know what they mean, and neither do we, to be fair!” she said in an interview withNewsweek.
Their zookeeper, Claudia, who is only 27, was laughing the whole time, according to Maxine, assuring them they were on the right track.
“We are all still very surprised at how far this has gone,” she continued, referring to the clip, which has surpassed 5.3 million views on TikTok.
From words like “brat” to saying that something is “bussin’,” the apparently limitless nature ofGen Z slangis bound to confuse anyone who hears it.
For Nicole Rosen, head of Linguistics at the University of Manitoba, the emergence of these words is integral to the identity development of teenagers, no matter the era.
This is why many of these terms are short and to the point.
Gen Z language can be difficult to understand at first glance, but a quick review of the word’s origins reveals that they are not as complex as they might appear initially
Take “brat” for example. While the word is commonly used to describe an ill-mannered child, inGen Zlingo, it’s used to describe a woman who’s assertive, blunt, and honest, even when that might be inappropriate in certain situations.
Someone being “delulu” is shorthand for delusional, and it is used to say that someone is out of touch with reality or, more likely, has delusions of grandeur.
Having “drip” means that someone has a unique or cool sense of style and fashion.
Having “rizz,” and its variants of being a “rizzler” or “rizzing” someone, comes from taking the middle part of the word charisma. It is used to describe someone who has a way with words to either seduce someone or get what they want.
View this post on Instagram
Rizz, in particular, was even named theOxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2023.
Viewers loved the couple’s attempt at Gen Z language, with many recognizing the effort it must’ve taken to record. A hilarious blooper follow-up video confirmed those suspicions
Brian and Linda, who are both in their 60s, uploaded afollow-up videothis Tuesday (August 10) in celebration of their viral clip’s success.
“This is how difficult it was to train Directors for Viral Gen-Z Marketing Video,” reads the caption of the blooper reel, which sees the couple struggling to perform the “heart” hand gesture and deliver their lines while keeping a straight face.
“I just know teaching the love heart took work!” said one viewer of the original video, to which the Zoo responded with a very Gen Z-like “No cap!”
“The arthritic finger heart at the beginning really set the mood,” joked another.
“Older posh people saying Menty B is my favorite thing at the minute,” one fan said.
“I love how deadpan it all is,” another pointed out.
“Northumberland Zoo understood the assignment!” one viewer wrote.
“I’ve never wanted to go to a zoo more!” Netizens loved the boomer couple’s earnest attempt at speaking to the younger generation, with many vowing to visit their establishment at some point
Lei RV
Renan Duarte
News
