2 Man (Slang)

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About

2 Man or Two Man is a slang term for when two men organize to hang out with two women hoping to have sex, similar to a double date. The term allegedly originates from Detroit, Michigan, a part of the region's AAVE. Usage of "2 man" in meme content peaked in 2022 and 2023, predominantly starting on TikTok where many posted skits about 2 man situations. In late 2023, many memes on TikTok referenced so-called "2 man season."

Origin

The phrase "2 man" was first added to Urban Dictionary ^[1] on August 28th, 2017, by user Lexgabbana who claimed that it was new and originated in Detroit, Michigan. They wrote, "Basically it's a double date, two girls and two boys." The definition gained over 230 likes in six years (shown below).

2 man Is a new Detroit slang. Basically it's a double date, two girls and two boys. 2 Boys: Aye, Who you with? Girl: Nobody, Just my Ace. 2 Boys: S---, Let's 2 man then by Lexgabbana August 18, 2017 237 49 y f FLAG

Spread

Despite its 2017 origin, the term "2 man" didn't gain mainstream memetic usage until 2022, when the phrase became widely used on TikTok. For instance, the earliest known example was a video uploaded by TikToker^[2] @bdotsdot22 on January 25th, 2022, which outlined "POV: y'all leaving a 2 man," gaining roughly 42,300 plays and 2,600 likes in a year (shown below, left).

In July 2023, "2 man" content became increasingly viral, evident in a viral video uploaded by TikToker^[3] @avajmorris who joked about filming a 2 man, gaining roughly 1 million plays and 183,600 likes in a year (shown below, right).

@bdotsdot22 Successful mission ✅ @spook_locc #fy #fyp #bdotsdot22 ♬

@avajmorris
jk
♬ original sound – TMU

Towards late 2022, users started to post skits about "2 man" situations, such as TikToker^[4] @luv2osa on December 9th, 2023, who joked about two Edgars doing a 2 man, gaining over 1.8 million plays and 176,300 likes in 11 months (shown below, left).

In early 2023, the skits persisted, such as a video posted by TikToker^[5] @_lepro on April 25th, 2023, which joked about "POV: When you take one for the team during a 2 man," earning roughly 3.8 million plays and 623,600 likes in seven months (shown below, right).

@luv2osa
gotta make sure we look good

♬ News Flash – Sethii Shmactt

@_lepro Only a few can survive this situation😭 #fyp #foryoupage #fypシ ♬ original sound – Lepro

Continuing into late 2023, the concept of a "2 man" received image-based memes as well. For instance, on November 15th, 2023, X^[6] user @ayeejuju posted an image of Miles Morales and Peter Parker with the caption, "me n my homie after a successful 2 man," gaining over 51,000 likes in two days (shown below).