About

Backshots, also written Back Shots, is an explicit slang term that refers to penetrative sex in which someone's back is facing the other, similar to what's known as "doggystyle." Backshots became an increasingly prominent word in memes and internet discourse throughout the late 2010s and early 2020s, however, the phrase predates internet history, first surfacing in 1990s rap music. Many backshots-related memes showed characters imagined to be getting backshots or receiving backshots, such as the Devious Reptilian Backshots and Tom Holland Getting Backshots memes in mid-2023.

Origin

The exact origin of the slang term "backshots" is currently unknown as it likely predates internet history. Its most likely origin is New York City as it was first used in the 1990s within the Mobb Deep song "Hit It From the Back," which was released on March 9th, 1993.^[1] During the song's outro, the lyrics read "Strictly back shots, you better act like you're with it" (YouTube^[2] upload shown below).

In 1994, famous New York City rapper The Notorious B.I.G. also used the term "backshots" in multiple songs such as "Just Playing (Dreams)"^[3] and "One More Chance."^[4]

A definition for "backshots" was first added to Urban Dictionary ^[5] on October 17th, 2001, by the user SOPHisACE who defined it as "The partaking of sexual intercourse from the behind" or "To take it up the ass." The definition gained over 240 likes in 22 years (shown below).

Alternatively, the website Rap Dictionary^[6] defines "backshots" as "To have sexual intercourse with someone from behind (the back)."

Spread

Backshots predominantly gained viral usage within notable posts starting in 2017. For instance, the first known tweet to use "backshots" and gain over 1,000 likes was posted by Twitter^[7] user @filthy_rich9735 on February 9th, 2017, who captioned a GIF of a The Lion King character with "When it's time for them backshots 😭," gaining roughly 5,200 likes in six years (shown below).

Going into the late 2010s, memes that referenced backshots became more frequent and commonplace on other sites like Instagram.^[8] In turn, backshots-related posts became increasingly viral. For instance, on March 24th, 2018, Twitter^[9] user @PrayForJack posted a Tired Spongebob meme that referenced backshots, gaining roughly 55,500 likes in five years (shown below, left). On May 7th, 2020, Twitter^[10] user @pray2mecca tweeted, "This how I b looking during backshots," gaining roughly 77,300 likes in three years (shown below, right).

In 2021 and 2022, Instagram^[11][12] user @thegainz uploaded multiple viral memes that referenced backshots. Around the same time, users on TikTok began making memes about backshots. For instance, on June 6th, 2021, TikToker^[13] @effyafterdark posted a video about backshots occurring in sync with the beat of a fast song, gaining roughly 10.2 million plays and 800,400 likes in two years (shown below, left). On June 15th, 2023, TikToker^[14] @poxxidale posted a video of Bleach character Ichigon Kurosaki "getting backshots," gaining roughly 1.8 million plays and 350,000 likes in one month (shown below, right).

Related Memes

Devious Reptilian Backshots

Devious Reptilian Backshots refers to a tweening animation and GIF of Spider-Man getting pulled into a sewer from behind by the Lizard, also known as Dr. Curt Connors. The animation was posted to Instagram in January 2023 and became the subject of memes and reactions in March after going viral on TikTok and Twitter when a user described the animation as Spider-Man taking "devious reptilian backshots" from the Lizard, meaning the Lizard is having sex with Spider-Man from behind.

Tom Holland Getting Backshots

Tom Holland Getting Backshots refers to a gay sex scene from the TV show The Crowded Room in which actor Tom Holland (known for playing Spider-Man) is seen getting penetrated from behind. A clip of the scene from season one episode eight of The Crowded Room titled "Reunion" went viral on Twitter in July 2023, causing a slew of reactions and memes that likened it to shock media. Many of the memes were related to actress Zendaya (who's Holland's girlfriend) in which meme creators imagined what her reaction to seeing the scene might have been.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References