Fresa (slang)

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Kali Uchis and Kenia Os, examples of Fresas' dress and lifestyle Kali Uchis y Kenia Os.jpg
Kali Uchis and Kenia Os, examples of Fresas' dress and lifestyle

Fresa (Spanish: "strawberry") is a slang term in Mexico and some parts of Latin America to describe a cultural stereotype of a wealthy, superficial young person from an educated, upper-class family. [1] The word was originally used by teenagers and young adults but its use has spread to all age groups.

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Fresas are typically seen to be stand-offish and use a mixture of Spanish, and English or "Spanglish." They have a certain accent described as similar as if one had a potato in the mouth (la papa en la boca). [1] The term fresa may be similar to the term preppy , which originated in the United States in the 1960s to define teenagers with a conservative mentality who were of upper social status. In Mexico during the 1970s, the meaning changed and became a term to describe the lifestyles of the youth who were wealthy and well-known.

However, the current usage of the term in Mexico has its origins in the late 1980s. During the rapid change in society as a result of globalization, which brought new forms of fashion, food and entertainment into the culture, a number of Mexican people began to adopt the "preppy" American lifestyle by mimicking American styles of dress, mannerisms and etiquette. Some examples include wearing polo shirts, boat shoes and chinos.

Kali Uchis, ACL 2015 Kali Uchis, ACL 2015.jpg
Kali Uchis, ACL 2015

Fresas slang and speech

The fresa (strawberry) sub-culture uses different words and speech patterns to be condescending to other people and using words like "Que oso" ("what a bear"), oso meaning doing something embarrassing; or "made me feel like a bear" ("I was standing next to him, he did something embarrassing and I was standing there, feeling like a bear"). "Neta?" ("it is true?"), "chale" or "chaz!" when surprised; "zero" meaning "being nothing or no-one" as in "he is zero to me now"; and "X" meaning "means nothing, let's not worry about that now", "he is no-one in my life now" or "I don't have the answer right now, let's not talk about it anymore". [2]

Fictional fresas

Soy Rebelde Tour - Rio de Janeiro - Nov 10, 2023 - examples of fresas sub-culture in Mexican pop culture. Soy Rebelde Tour - Rio de Janeiro - Nov 10, 2023 - 53332493867.jpg
Soy Rebelde Tour - Rio de Janeiro - Nov 10, 2023 - examples of fresas sub-culture in Mexican pop culture.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Libra, Jesse (2021-03-02). "6 Mexican Class Stereotypes, overexplained". Medium. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  2. https://www.buzzfeed.com/mx/bibibarud/la-pura-netflix-papaw
  3. "Bailo tango, masco chicle". Estereotipos Mexicano Cine Ochenta (in Spanish).