Over the past year, women with car-owning boyfriends have taken to TikTok to give themselves a new nickname, "passenger princesses."

The meaning of the internet slang term is rather wholesome. A "passenger princess" is a girlfriend who doesn't drive, but rather, just sits in the passenger seat like a princess. It's something both girlfriends and boyfriends are using online to make their transportation dynamic sound more cutesy.

Curious about what the slang term's origin is and how to use it? Let's explain.

Where Did 'Passenger Princess' Come From?

TikTokers began using the term as early 2021, however, its first utterance online comes from a user named @ohthatwelshguy on the website formerly known as Twitter, posted in late 2020.

'Passenger Princess' Usage In Memes

The phrase gained predominant usage when it went viral on TikTok in early 2023. Various women on the app who identified as passenger princesses adopted the term, most often filming themselves in the front seat of their partner's car, commonly referred to as the passenger princess' "throne."

@christineleeee offer respectfully declined @brandonjwong #couple #couplegoals ♬ original sound – Alex and Jon

@by.imanx

He hates when I put up the heater 🤪

♬ original sound – hard ahh audios fr🤞

Where Can I Use 'Passenger Princess?'

"Passenger princess" is best used to describe a woman whose boyfriend drives her everywhere, but, she's self-aware of the fact and humorously takes pride in it. It's pretty stereotypical that the man in a relationship drives the car, however, saying "passenger princess" dissolves the stigma around solidifying gender roles by being too catchy to dislike.

How do you use "passenger princess" in a sentence?

• "I love taking my passenger princess out to dinner."
• "What if my passenger princess drove today and let me be a passenger prince?"
• "There's nothing wrong with being a passenger princess as long as you navigate and play good music."

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For the full history of "passenger princess," be sure to check our entry on the slang term here for more information.