You might have noticed the phrase "thirst trap" in the previous post. I have to start a new post because I don't want to sidetrack my own post, but there's a great and long Wikipedia article, "Thirst trap."
This is a slang term of recent origin — it's only about 10 years old — but somehow it has an entry as long as what you'd expect to find for a modestly significant historical character. I'm also recommending that you click through to see the one photograph, captioned "A woman taking a selfie." That's just perfect.
To the text:
A thirst trap is a type of social media post intended to entice viewers sexually. It refers to a user's "thirst", a colloquialism likening sexual frustration to dehydration, implying desperation.....
There can be several motivations behind thirst trapping. People can seek "likes" and comments on social media which can provide a temporary boost in self-esteem and validation. Posting a thirst trap can also be a way to express sexuality. Thirst traps can contribute to personal branding as well. Sometimes, there can be a financial benefit for sharing thirst traps....
What I'm noticing here is that it's the person looking at a picture who is using the term and is therefore expressing how she feels, yet purporting to say how the person in the photograph feels. One woman sees another woman and denigrates her as an attention-seeker. That's a phenomenon that predates social media. To say "thirst trap" — or "She's just trying to get attention" — is to avoid taking responsibility for your own envy and your possibly morbid obsession with looks.
The Wikipedia article devolves into pseudo-science:
From a physiological standpoint, endorphins and neurotransmitters like oxytocin and dopamine can be released with the process of sharing thirst traps, leading to a sense of pleasure and an ambiguous or masturbatory alternative for actual physical sexual contact....
And then high literature makes an appearance:
"Gatsbying" is a variation of the thirst trap, where one puts posts on social media to attract the attention of a particular individual.The term alludes to the novel The Great Gatsby where the character Jay Gatsby would throw extravagant parties to attract the attention of his love interest, Daisy....
Posts
10 comments:
Wikipedia seems to be a garbage heap littered with attention-trapping glitter.
This right here is why I read you, Ann. My millennial children try to keep me up-to-date, but you really fill in the gaps. My non-ironic thanks to you.
Thirst Trap. The term alludes to the novel The Great Gatsby where the character Jay Gatsby would throw extravagant parties to attract the attention of his love interest, Daisy....
And I thought the term was derived from Thirston Howell III and Lovey.
Again the language is adorned, again le mot juste informs and pleases.
And speaking of thirst trapping, may I remind you all that 100 Days of Dante is starting in September. Dante was a Florentine politician fighting corruption who was exiled on pain of being burned alive if he returned to Florence. He was also a poet. In exile, he wrote a poem which contends against his feelings of despair, horror and betrayal as he looked about and saw both Church and Empire, the highest religious and political leadership, as well the life of his own "nation", the city of Florence rotted through with greed and corruption. It's pleasing to walk through the Inferno with Dante, mentally replacing the corrupt figures of his time with the corrupt leaders of our own day. But it's more pleasing to leave the dead air of that realm and return to the stars and to walk on through Purgatorio and Paradisio achieving some sense of an answer to the big question - And me? In such a time? How? And where?
I'm not opening this post, reading it, and posting a comment on it. Nuh uh! I wasn't born last night!
Pairs well with a little Vidal. Say, "A Thirsty Evil."?
There's an interesting question here.
If I ever find myself thinking that someone else's behavior is an attempt to induce a particular reaction, does that necessarily mean that their behavior is inducing that reaction in me?
Is it possible for a gay man, with no sexual interest in women at all, to tell whether a woman is trying to be sexually enticing or not?
At 2:41 SeanF posed the question--Is it possible for a guy man, with no sexual interest in women at all, to tell whether a woman is trying to be sexually enticing or not?
I can't answer for gay men, but I can tell you from personal experience that some straight men, with sexual interest in women, are entirely capable of missing such womanly stratagems.
Over the past year or so I have heard major and minor celebrities described as 'thirsty.'
As in, they seek fame.
It is sad, but makes sense in today's world where people are famous for being famous, and Tik Tok stars can earn millions.
It isn't always tied to sex...
I don’t always leave comments on every blog post, but when I do, I leave them at the Althouse blog.
Stay thirsty, my fellow thirst traps.
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