What Does ‘Polyester’ Mean? Teen Slang Explained

If you’ve been spending more quality time with – or around – your teenager over the summer, you might’ve overheard some unusual sayings and phrases.

From chatting about larping to telling mates to ‘call an Uber’, there’s always some new terminology or phrase entering their vocabulary.

And the latest, according to language trends experts at Preply, is the term ‘polyester’.

Polyester – in the usual sense – is a synthetic fabric derived from petroleum-based compounds. A lot of clothes are made from it thanks to its quick-drying and moisture-reducing properties (hence why a lot of sportswear contains it).

But Gen Alpha and Gen Z are now using ‘polyester’ in a completely different way.

Globally, Google searches for ‘polyester slang’ spiked by 141% in the past week, according to Preply.

What does it mean now, then? Madeline Enos, the brand’s language trends expert, said: “Social media users have turned ‘polyester’ into a critique to call out content that is perceived as low-quality, generic, or inauthentic online.”

“The term has gained traction among Gen Z, calling out polyester lifestyles, videos, and even people,” she continued.

In June, a much-viewed video described similarities between the rise of AI in creative media and the trajectory of synthetic fabrics, like polyester, in fashion. The poster called the comparisons “eerily similar” and suggested, “polyester was marketed as a miracle fibre, but when companies started to make things out of 100% polyester, people hated it”.

More recently, a viral example of the new definition saw a TikTok creator in his late teens talking about his dream lifestyle that he hopes to achieve by the time he reaches 20. This consisted largely of living in a NYC penthouse, getting up early to work out, working in local coffee shops (largely with the help of AI) and getting to jet-set to Europe for business.

The top comment reads ‘polyester lifestyle’, and had gained over 49,000 likes at the time of writing.

Polyester has swiftly become a term used to describe anything that’s deemed low-quality, cheap or fake. It follows similarly disparaging predecessors: mid (meaning mediocre) and Ohio (which kids used to mean cringe, boring, foolish).

“The popularity of the viral insult ‘polyester’ reflects a wider Gen Z preference for authenticity over polished perfection online,” said Enos.

“What makes the term particularly interesting linguistically is how quickly a familiar word can take on a new meaning. It’s another example of language constantly adapting to how people communicate, with social media giving new expressions space to spread.”

Well, I guess now we know!