About

Trashy is a slang term used in a derogatory manner to describe something particularly low-quality or inappropriate. It is used as an antonym of "classy" and typically refers to human behavior that is undesirable. Someone who is considered "trashy" or behaving in such a manner typically exhibits selfish or grotesque actions with no remorse, especially when being inconsiderate.

Origin

While the term "trashy" has been used for decades, it first appeared in a September 5th, 1987 review for the South Florida Sun Sentinel^[1] by Juan Carlos Coto. In the publication, the word is used as a descriptor for the notoriously bad Garbage Pail Kids Movie.

The top definition for "trashy" on Urban Dictionary^[2] was uploaded on January 15th, 2012, by user chuckybubbles. With 1,082 likes in nine years, the definition is the top on the site for trashy (definition seen below).

A person who lacks class. Trashy people exist among all races and socioeconomic levels. Trashy people lack meaningful goals and purpose in life. They are not very concerned with academic subjects, worldly matters, nor culture, but are more amused with unimportant matters and simple activities such as celebrity gossip, shopping for useless merchandise (like cigarettes), and excessive partying into late hours. Other than spending money, trashy people contribute little or nothing to society, which is why they are associated with "trash"… Although they may think they're cool, most other people find them obnoxious, stinky, immature, irresponsible, and unattractive.

Spread

The term began to see increased use online in the early 2010s, typically as a synonym for "white trash" or "trailer trash." For example, this 2011 meme (seen below) found on Quickmeme^[3] refers to a trashy perception of people from Deltona, Florida. It received 448 shares in 10 years.

Subreddit Creation

The subreddit /r/trashy^[4] was formed on June 14th, 2012, and is a collection of images or videos of people deemed "trashy." As of August 2021, it has approximately 2.5 million subscribers. The subreddit's description reads, "Trashy stories, trashy glamour, all things fake, plastic, and downright trashy, low-class, no-class, white trash, bimbos, and damn proud."

The top image post (seen below) on the subreddit^[5] is a compilation of pictures of Harvey Weinstein, described with the caption "Harvey Weinstein pulls out a walker for court appearances but walks fine going to Target." It was uploaded on December 16th, 2019, by Redditor u/Pinkman-Exo-7, receiving over 146,000 upvotes and 2,000 comments in six months.

Related Memes

People of Walmart

The blog People of Walmart catalogs encounters with Walmart customers typically regarded as trashy. These individuals are often viewed as examples of the "trashy" phenomenon.

Karen

Karens are people who behave with rude, blatant disregard of the feelings of others in order to get their way, often threatening to call the police over small inconveniences, harassing retail and customer service workers, and generally causing public disturbances that are perceived as trashy. Karens are also associated with the anti-mask and anti-vaccination, which were further panned as trashy by people in 2020 and 2021.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References