About

Fatherless Behavior is a slang term used to call out people who act in a way that suggests they have daddy issues or were raised without a father. The term has been criticized for its use in a derogatory and broad manner towards LGBTQ+ people and women, particularly sex workers. The term became increasingly popularized throughout 2021, particularly on TikTok.

Origin

The earliest definition of the term "fatherless behavior" was posted to Urban Dictionary^[1] on January 4th, 2021, by user Adrian keller, writing, "When you weird as hell for no reason" — though it is not the exact first use online. The most liked definition was posted to Urban Dictionary^[2] that September, writing:

Fatherless behavior: when one or many persons exhibit the symptoms commonly known as "daddy issues" they are usually categorized by a rebellious or otherwise unorthodox style of clothing reflective of such mindset that has developed due to various influences or lack thereof mostly lack of parental control hence making them seem spoiled and brat-ish hence the name fatherless behavior,

Individuals with such behavior are often women more than men and are very progressive yet idiotic in their conduct of such ideology they may believe they are always correct yet refuse to compromise or admit wrongful ideals, many choose the platforms like tiktok or Twitter to spread those ideals that have resulted in the culmination of all the stereotypes mentioned above into the word fatherless behavior.

Contrary to popular belief, people who use this word often are not attacking ones sexuality or race or style of clothing (although they may judge) it is referring to one's foolish actions they choose to display on public platforms.

Spread

The term became increasingly popularized online in mid-2021, often used as an insult on TikTok, inspiring memes. On July 18th, 2021, Instagram^[3] user clitalians posted a Whisper meme using the phrase, gaining over 120 likes in nine months. On July 29th, YouTuber notsql posted a video consisting of an image macro of a silhouetted child reaching for his father, who is dissolving, gaining over 18,800 views in the same rough span of time (shown below).

On July 31st, Redditor Florina_Best_Girl posted a Doge meme to /r/dogelore^[4] using the term, gaining over 1,000 upvotes in nine months (shown below).

The term has been criticized for its use towards members of the LGBTQ+ community, furries and sex workers, including women with OnlyFans pages, implying they're part of their aforementioned communities because they lack a father figure. This is discussed in a video by YouTuber Sliced posted on August 21st, 2021 (shown below).

On December 10th, 2021, YouTuber Hugefrog posted a compilation of videos that have been described as showcasing fatherless behavior, gaining over 164,000 views in four months (shown below, left). On February 22nd, 2022, YouTuber SYMemes posted a video showing a rapid-fire edit of Twitter profile pictures featuring pride flags titled "Pov: No father figure," gaining over 24,000 views in two months (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References