Shit Bougie Black Girls Say

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The bougie black girl's patron saint

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock or one of Rick Ross’ breasts for the past month, you’ve undoubtedly seen, read, or heard about “Shit Girls Say” and the dozens of increasingly contrived spin-offs it’s spawned. (Seriously, at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if went on YouTube and saw “Shit Gay German-Ethiopian Boys Say To Baltimore Strip-Club Bouncers”)

As a friend and I were discussing these videos earlier in the week, she half-jokingly complained that no one made a video about things her demographic — the biracial woman — says. I corrected her, saying that “Shit Bougie Black Girls Say” would definitely be more appropriate for her “Hampton undergrad, Harvard grad”-ass ass.

Her response was predictable. First, she did what every single black person who’s ever been accused of being bougie by anyone at any time always does first: deny the fact that she’s bougie. Then, she denied the fact that bougie black girls even say or do anything “special enough” to warrant an entire video for them.

As you’ll begin to see in the next paragraph, I disagreed.

“Does he own a passport?”

If you’re ever in doubt as to whether a black girl is truly bougie, ask her if she’d date a guy who didn’t own a passport. If she says something normal like “I guess. I mean, I don’t see why not.” she’s probably not. But, if she recoils in fear, breaks out in hives, and starts running in circles while crying and screaming “NONONONONONONONO!!!!!!” you’ve probably found yourself a bougie black girl.

Bougie black girls reading this, can you explain something to me? What is the big deal with the passport? I mean, I understand loving to travel and wanting your potential beau to be able to travel with you, but what’s preventing you from just asking him to get one. Seriously, the conversation would go exactly like this:

“Hey, I want to go to Spain this summer, and I’d like you to come with me. Do you have a passport?”

“No, nubian princess, God of my Earth, but I’d love to make that trip with you, and I can get one.”

“Cool.” 

(See how easy that was?)

“That’s my favorite Thai restaurant”

For whatever reason, Thai food has catapulted past all other international cuizines as the bougie black girl’s default food of choice, leaving Ethiopian food, Indian food, and p*ssy juice in it’s curry-scented dust.

Perhaps the collective decision to be Thai food philes occurred in one of those mysterious early Saturday morning meetings Delta chapters love to have. If that’s true, it helps to explain why they each have to devote like 30% of their yearly income to Delta dues. They’re not giving back to the main office. They’re putting their money together to fund all these gotdamn Thai restaurants popping up all over the damn place.

Also, note how the bougie black girl says “that’s my favorite” — a linguistic trick letting the listener know that her bougie ass has been to enough Thai restaurants to be able to deem one her favorite.

“I’m not bougie”

I referenced this before — bougie motherf*ckers never seem to want to acknowledge their bougieness — but, the more I think about it, the more I think this denial is inauthentic. I think they enjoy being thought of as bougie because it assigns a certain social status to them. But, since they know it’s not socially acceptable to relish that status, they verbally deny it while doing mental jumping jacks of joy. (“He called me bougie! This means that he thinks I’m worth some effort! Lemme pretend not to be bougie so he doesn’t think I’m too siddity“)

“Where’s brunch?”

Panama’s already touched on this, but bougie black girls love brunch more than fat crackheads love Home Depot.

“I’m so ratchet.”

Sign #318 that you’re definitely, unequivocally, absolutely, unmistakably, positively, and emphatically NOT ratchet: You refer to yourself as ratchet.

“Wait, who’s going to be there?” 

It doesn’t matter if they’re going to a party or just going out to the front lawn to pick up the newspaper, bougie black girls don’t even consider going anywhere unless they know exactly who else is going. Now, finding out that some of the “wrong” people are going doesn’t necessarily stop them from going, but it does influence their attire, mode of transportation, intoxication level, tph (tweets per hour) count, and whether the guy she invites back to her house later “adds to her number.”

“Is he Greek?”

“Greek” can also be replaced with “from here,” done with school,” “driving that,” or “gay”

“Where’d you get that?” “Target, girl.” “OH MY GOD!!!”

You haven’t lived until you listened to two bougie black girls practically orgasm with surprise over a recent purchase one of them made at Target. What makes it even better is the fact that they have the exact same convo with the exact same orgasm of surprise each time at least once a week.

Anyway, people of VSB.com, that’s it for me. Can you think of any more shit that bougie black girls (or guys) say?

—Damon Young (aka “The Champ”)

885 thoughts on “Shit Bougie Black Girls Say”

  1. Bougie sistahs unknowingly correct their less bougie friends’ pronunciation of designers (ahem…maybe that was just me). When I first got to college, I thought that “Ag-ner” was some brand I had never heard of. It was 3 weeks before I realized my roommate and her friends were talking about Aigner.

    Yeah….I’m bougie.

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    • LOL, I was about to type OMG, but THAT would have been bourgeois *winks at Champ*.
      My friends and I used to do the SAME THING. “Girl where did you get your “ag-ners” it was years before I learned to say “aughn-yay”… and i won’t tell you how how we used to say “Givenchy” . . .

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        • i can’t believe i’m tell you this on a PUBLIC FORUM, but i used to say it just as it’s spelled,
          “Gu (u as in under)-VEN-CHEE” instead of
          “zha-VON-cshi”…… I was pretty rachet!!!

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          • *blank stare* that’s how you pronounce Givenchy? Oh. I’m still workingon Louboutin… (I refuse to refer to them as red bottom shoes)

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          • sorry ladies I have to correct you all.
            Givenchy is pronounce Ji van she
            louboutin is LU bu ten
            Aigner is A gnee.
            lol Hope you all appreciate it.

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        • i can’t believe i’m telling you this on a PUBLIC FORUM, but i used to say it just as it’s spelled,
          “Gu (u as in under)-VEN-CHEE” instead of
          “zha-VON-cshi”…… I was pretty rachet!!!

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        • I like your correct spelling of bourgeois. Yes, I am a bit on the bourgeois side… Tyler Perry has GOT to do better!

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    • What’s Aigner? You can’t be talking about that cheap shoe designer Etienne Aigner that is sold in Macy’s. Only people with GEDs wear her shoes

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      • Pretty sure that Etienne is French for Steven, so while the shoes are still cheap, the designer is a man.

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      • U are definitely bougie when you say shit like “only people with GEDs” where Aigner. I’ve never worn them because it is more of a classic designer (and by classic, I mean for old people), but I wouldn’t go as far to call it cheap. Since when was Macys deemed to be Kmart-like?

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        • I have never really liked that designer. Rachel Roy has the baddest shoes, along with Jessica Simpson. I know those are the lower end shoes but i love them anyway. And Target is the bomb. However, I am not a Thai food eater, I will take Sushi any day over that…lol So i guess I am not Bourgie…lol

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      • ^^^^^Aww you are too cute! lol
        This post is Hilarious! I love this Thai spot by my house! lol
        Then there is this Vietnamese Restaurant that Ilove a lil more. How about I cringe when people spell Bourgeois wrong. And honestly most of us are Bourgeois. Yes I know the definition because I was trying to prove a point once. Bourgeois actually just menas middle class. But if you refer to the Marxist Theory it is a little different.. Anywho My husband calls me Boo, which he says is short for Bourgeois!

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      • Only someone of pure ignorance would make a comment like this. You completely missed the essence of this post! Intelligence is the torch of wisdom, not ignorance:)

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    • Dam I’m guilty. Why was I just talking about learning how to make Thai food cuz I love it so much. Dam is that real bougie LOL

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    • lol Too funny but so true. This was me and all of my friends. You forgot “Girl please”, “OMG”, “Did he even graduate?”, “Child please”, “So wait, does he have a job?”, “Girl I couldn’t even do it”

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        • “they put peanuts in EVERYTHING!”

          Not true! I order spicy chicken panang – a curry with coconut milk, some spices, and green beans served with rice…it’s good! And no peanuts. There are also some noodle dishes without peanuts, too.

          But, “I’m not bougie” – I just like Thai. lol

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      • Extra bougie = champagne brunch

        A winner = she can cook the whole brunch in her sleep and does it just because she loves love.

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        • I live for brunch. My favorite meal of the week. I have a document with bottomless brunch spots saved on my phone.

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          • Eve is my kinda girl! Bottomless brunch is everything! @the champ lay off the early morning turned early afternoon Delta meetings! And add “*fill in the blank* is everything” to your list

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          • You’re winning!!! Bottomless mimosas are my middle name and I am always looking here in Brooklyn for those gems! In fact I’m going to make an evernote doc right now.

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      • LOL I just went to my favorite Thai place yesterday. And had the leftovers for lunch today.

        You forgot to list sushi as super bougie. I also have a fav sushi place.

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      • taking a bougie girl to thai restaurant = the devil = great post-thai restaurant sex = a retraction of your stating that sex is overrated.

        *lmao*

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        • taking a bougie girl to thai restaurant = the devil = great post-thai restaurant sex = a retraction of your stating that sex is overrated.

          tu motherf*ckin shea

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          • Bougie women correct spelling/pronunciation for good reason. Took me a bit to figure out what “tu motherf*ckin shea” meant. The only “shea” I know is the butter kind.

            Touché*

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            • He was being sarcastic. He’s referenced the tu shea vs touche thing before (Champ used to be a teacher ya know).

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            • hahahahahahahahaha, perfect, I always get so annoyed trying to make my accent marks since I switched from my international keyboard…

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      • What is hilarious is the bougie black guy that took me to lunch the other day and suggested Thai. I kept rolling my eyes and begging for a burger but come to find out I really liked the joint …
        I would have picked apart congressional black caucus events … That brings out the bougie in epic proportions- just my opinion lol!

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      • HOW & WHY is Thai food the devil?? Champ, did you encounter a string of bougie girls that all tortured you @ Thai restaurants or something? As you may have guessed, I loooove Thai food & could eat it errrryday so I find its listing as a symptom of bougiery unfair. Booooo!

        As for the passport, dude could just get one. However, if he’s UNWILLING to get one b/c he’s not interested in ever traveling, that’s another story – he may just be too neighborhood for me.

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          • Thanks Champ. Now I’m ordering Thai for lunch instead of eating my vegetable medley I brought to work.

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          • Ohhhh… sorry, Champ. Thankfully, Thai has never changed the balance in my intestinal walls but I now understand your position. I bet it was good going down though, huh?! Don’t lie, Champ!

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      • There’s a great Thai Food place right behind Saks 5th ave off of Rodeo Dr. … If u ever ever ever are in LA please try it!

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        • Sushi used to be the bougie food, but the commoners have caught on. ;) Maybe being able to eat sushi with chopsticks vs a fork, or eating rolls vs pieces should be a differentiator.

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          • Think there is still some classism in sushi though. You have those who won’t eat sushi from Publix (they make it fresh right there). Then you have those who eat the fried sushi (Americanized sushi), then you have the purists who are actually down for the fish itself without the accoutrements.

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          • I was just thinking that. When hood chicks (Tiny and her crew) are talking about how much they LOVE sushi, it has officially lost its bougie-ness. lol

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          • “Sushi used to be the bougie food, but the commoners have caught on.”

            LOL so true. I’m pretty common and I’ve grown to like sushi. Caught on to it.

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          • Funny you mentioned chopsticks. One time a waitress brought utensils to me and I had to ask “excuse me, where are my chopsticks?” Yes, I was offended (I was the only one she did that too). And no I’m not bougie.

            Okay, maybe I am a little lol. Oh well.

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      • “#alwaysonestepaheadofbougie”

        Riiiiiiight! One personifies bougie by actually setting trends, not following them. I’m in love with Indian food right now…#IJS

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      • True Story: A few years ago, I got into Salvadorean food myself, especially pupusas, after some Salvadorean (soccer) teammates introduced me to them. After every game, my coach’s wife would bring me the traditional Salvadorean meal of pupusas and curtido, and my teammates would explain in Spanglish that pupusas are traditionally eaten in their country as a sort of post-victory meal. I thought I was bridging some major cultural gap when I witnessed their smiles and unbridled joy when I would ask for more pupusas, because I really did enjoy them.

        …That was until a teammate informed me that “pupusa” is also Salvadorean slang for a certain part of the female anatomy, and the guys were really just having a good laugh at my expense that whole time. That being said, it was a good joke… and I still enjoy pupusas and curtido whenever I pass by a Salvadorean restaurant.

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      • pupusas are the move!

        summer weekends in red hook, the pupusa trucks are out in full force.

        But nothing is better than JAPANESE!

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    • I love Thai Food as well, there is nothing like a good Pad Thai. Oh and Brunch is everything, especially a bottomless mimosa brunch.

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    • My friends and I have eaten Thai food so much that we got tired of it and had Moroccan.. Great but not the same!

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      • lol

        side note: a bougie chick would probably ask you if you like them with flour or corn and if you like them fried and say you’re not expanding your food horizons if you like the crispy taco shells from the grocery store.

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        • If she takes him to a Mexican food truck, is that considered bougie? Might be considered hipster.

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          • Its only bougie if she says its authenic and can name the specific region in Mexico that that the food comes from that sets it apart from other Mexican food trucks. LMAO

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    • As hilarious as this post was, I gotta side with the Boughie chicks on the Thai food. Can’t co-sign its awesomeness enough. Damn…But this post was hilarious, and somehow I just knew it was Champ. Too funny tho. Especially this:
      ” I think they enjoy being thought of as bougie because it assigns a certain social status to them. But, since they know it’s not socially acceptable to relish that status, they verbally deny it while doing mental jumping jacks of joy. (“He called me bougie! This means that he thinks I’m worth some effort! Lemme pretend not to be bougie so he doesn’t think I’m too siddity“)” Man u hit the nail on it’s boughie *ss head lol

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  3. I want royalties for you using my likeness. Just saying. Don’t hate this bougie nerd tomboy crazy girl.

    Yeah, I run the gamut, Frys, and the shoe department. And the fridge. Step away from the fridge.

    *continues to drink Nyquil*

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  4. The passport thing, while not my requirement, is I guess understandable. See, we want a man who is well-traveled. Sure he can get a passport to go on a trip with me but that’s not the point. The point is, have you been anywhere outside of the country? Has it ever crossed your mind to make it happen before I met you?

    LMAO at ‘I’m so ratchet.’ Yes. THIS. I hate the word, mostly cuz bougie ppl use it in place of “ghetto” but seem to think they’re taking some moral high road because of it.

    There are many more things bougie Black girls talk about. Like, making plans to go to the Vineyard (but make sure it’s not during the weekend when The Negroes are all there), talk about maintaining appearances (which liquors can and can’t be imbibed in public, which foods can and can’t be eaten in public, etc)…and other bougie topics. Not that I’m bougie or anything.

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      • It means that on an integer scale, with ratchet at +100 and ultra bougie at -100 (hey, it’s my scale!) you are at 0, which translates into you’re right in the middle. You’re neutral.

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    • lol. I love your additions. I do not eat fried chicken in public, nor do I eat watermelon, bananas, or drink kool-aid in public. While I do enjoy drinking hood rat drinks on occasion I will only drink St. Ides special brew in the hood or the privacy of my own home.

      Bougie black girls also try to make sure they don’t do anything to “set the race back”. They also scoff if you eat at aforementioned Thai restaurant using a fork instead of chopsticks… These are just two things I heard

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      • I’m not alone in not eating fried chicken in public. I only buy kool aid if I can use the self-checkout

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        • you’re n ot alone, I won’t eat fried chicken in public either. I hate watermelon, and my parents never EVER bought kool-aid. guess that means I’m bougie

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          • ” I hate watermelon, and my parents never EVER bought kool-aid. guess that means I’m bougie”

            That is correct. Unless you’re not in fact black. Then the play would be sent to the booth for further review lol

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        • I hate the self-checkout becaue the machine is always saying your business all loud lol

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        • Lol at not eating fried chicken in public! As a bougie negress, I deny eating soul food, but I eat it in private *wears hoodie and sunglasses to Big Mamas Greasy Fatback and Thangs*

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          • Sorry to hear that about the soul food. As someone who is just Bougie enough, I take my white friends to soul food places to put them on to what they’ve been missing.

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          • A bourgeoise should not deny who she is and what she likes. If you like soul food, you should eat it in public so that people know that upper middle class blacks are not all sell outs. I love soul food and I’m proud to eat it.

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      • Glad to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t eat chicken in public. If folks could’ve seen the death ray glare I gave my co-worker for years everytime he started chomping on Popeye’s at our damn near colorless midtown office.

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      • Wow.. I thought I was the only person who didn’t eat fried chicken or watermelon in public. I usually get side-eyed and called uppity for not doing that. I also wouldn’t be caught dead drinking cheap beer in public,won’t buy cheap “wine”, and look down my nose at anyone who confesses to drinking wine from a box or drinking 40′s but I will drink the hell outta some kool-aid… in the privacy of my own home or with family.

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    • “The point is, have you been anywhere outside of the country? Has it ever crossed your mind to make it happen before I met you?”

      That’s understandable. Or it could mean ole dude was too busy trying get where he needs to be financially to be able to take a trip outside of the country.

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      • it’s much cheaper to travel abroad than most people think. if he’s that broke then, a bougie chick ain’t gonna want him no way.

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        • See how a dude can’t win for losing? What if he simply wanted to go with a special woman he felt was worth the risk of dragging luggage, getting fondled by TSA, waiting in long lines at the airport, dealing with racial profiling just to go drink tea with her in Morrocco?

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        • “it’s much cheaper to travel abroad than most people think.”
          shiyuuuuut. Plane tickets are too damn high! LOL, I think the reason I haven’t been yet is because I had no one to go with. When I have the money, others don’t. That seems to be the hardest part- actually planning a trip with people who will follow through.

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              • lmao and I’m adverse to cruises because of the cruise ship Listeria reports and Somali pirates.

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                • HAHA somali pirates!
                  I shouldn’t laugh b/c I’m Somali and the piracy situation is very sad and complicated…but I did LOL @ this.

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            • I actually am planning a cruise but they’re just as expensive. There’s the cost of getting to the port. Then I ain’t trying to get an inside room, I want a big cabin with a view. Cruises do have a lot of specials and coupons though.

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              • Book waaay in advance to get a better deal. But there are a lot of deals online OR you can talk to the booking agents too.
                For the money you get EVERYTHING you will ever need on board. Stay away from excursions and go exploring on your own (another way to save money)

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          • “it’s much cheaper to travel abroad than most people think.”

            Well damn. Most people must think it’s a down payment on a house, cause it’s still an arm and a leg (coming from someone who loves to travel). I guess this is why bougie chicks value what you do for a living so much more than the rest of us lol

            ” When I have the money, others don’t. That seems to be the hardest part- actually planning a trip with people who will follow through.”

            Exactly. And going by yourself is….risky…just not the same

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      • I DUNNO. DOESN’T MATTER. IT’S IN THE HANDBOOK!!

        Some women might argue because they want a cultured man. Someone who has been outside of America for once in their life to see the world differently. There are endless socio-political reasons why traveling abroad is beneficial. Beneficial to dating? That’s debatable, but I assume it’s for like-minded reasons. Bougie black women have traveled and want a man who has traveled as well. Me personally I just want to compare travel notes. Also, to a bougie chick traveling abroad seems so basic, nobody wants to travel with the new booty whose never been on a flight longer than 2.5 hours.

        I once dated a guy who had a fear of heights and never rode on airplanes, and had no intentions of learning. As much as I love to travel, I had to think long and hard about taking things to the next step LOL. Sure, he was cool for the short term (super cute, very smart, etc) but for the long term? Nah, son. I couldn’t do it.

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        • So what about the people who travel abroad but haven’t even seen all the different parts of the country they just so happen to be a citizen of?

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          • Not the point to see all of America vs. seein other countries/cultures. See there’s America and then there’s everybody else. It’s much more commendable to me someone who has taken the time to step outside of the American bubble. Bonus points if you’ve been to any non-Western countries. A different set of bonus points if you’ve been to non first-world countries.

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              • (I wrote a comment earlier on my phone and the format looked funky to me so I am re-writing it)

                I think America has so much more to offer a traveler than one might think.

                The US has so many cultures, geographies, economies, languages, eating habits..etc. It’s definitely possible to learn a thing or two about life without having to cross the border.

                I spent most of my college years traveling all over the US. I have not yet set foot off of the continent. I would like to travel abroad, however my world won’t collapse if I didn’t.

                My priority right now is to make a difference in people’s lives within my community. If I am able to fulfill my life’s purpose, yet never get to travel abroad..I’m okay with that.

                I am also okay if I find a man, who also feels that getting a passport isn’t his number one priority.

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              • +1 to Liz. I don’t think it’s just not having a passport and the need to apply for one, I think it’s what’s associated with the type of guy who doesn’t already have one. IMO, I feel like people have a different mindset who are willing to travel abroad and want to experience life and culture from a different perspective.

                In my past experience, the type of guys who haven’t traveled and/or had no desire to travel outside of the US (hell, outside of their own state) seemed to be a little more close-minded to certain things in general. They were the ones who also never eaten at restaurants outside of your typical chain/American fast-food places. They were the ones that I had a harder time having deeper and more varied conversations about history, politics, current events, life and just the general world around us.

                Now I’m definitely not saying that ALL guys that do not travel are like this but that’s generally what I come across and what I associate with people who don’t even have the desire to experience a culture outside of our often self-centered American views.

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            • Forme,thereisadifferencebtwnnotsettingfootoutsideyourhood,andnotsettingfootoutsideAmerica.Americahassomanydifferentcultures,languages,accents,climates,geographies,economies,eatinghabits,socialnorms..it’sdefinitelypossibletogainadifferentperspectivehere..
              You dont have to cross the border to learn something ..you just have to have an open mind..IspentthemajorityofmycollegeyearstravelingallovertheUS,.Ihaven’ttravelledabroad,yet. However myworldwon’tcollapseifIneverdo.Myfocusisonmakingadifferenceinpeople’sliveswithinmy,hood.If I am able to do fulfill my purpose in life, yet don’t get past Mexico in my travels, I’m ok with that.So,IguessIwouldbeokwithamanwhoseprioritiesdid not includegetting .

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            • Not to poo poo the world travelers out there but, I don’t know. Maybe its a me thing but I’m much less impressed with people who have been to Tibet and haven’t even seen the whole state they live in. Its the equivalent to a nucca with a fresh azz wardrobe and no car. A nice 100k car and no home. Its essentially hustling backwards. If you want to see poor people and a completely different culture how about starting with the ones that live on the other side of your town (you know, the ones you typically avoid and act like don’t exist)?

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              • Word. Though, it ain’t cool to correct women like this. So, while I agree and co-sign, I do not condone this message.

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              • Corey, when you finally do travel abroad, you will see the difference. Granted, I don’t care if my dude doesn’t have a passport but if when I want to visit another country, he better take his behind down to the post office and get his passport so that he can come with me. Once you have seen one part of the US, it really isn’t that different from the rest. But when you travel to one country and literally just cross the border and a whole different culture is in front of you (not include the scenery and food) it does blow your mind. It’s pretty cool actually.

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                • I call shullbit. I’ve lived in 5 states in various regions of the country (currently in a new one) and there is a HUGE difference. For starters, not all parts of this wonderful country have coloreds. I’m learning about how sh!tty that is currently.

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                  • +1 I’ve lived in several different states on opposite sides of the country and there is a big change. Not only demographics, but even things that you think wouldn’t vary like food, activities, entertainment so many things are different and it does cause you to re-evaluate previous thoughts/opinions/impressions of other groups of people. I’ve also been outside of the country but honestly there is alot to see in the US, alot to be learned and alot of different cultures within our own borders but people tend to travel to the tourist areas/highly populated vacation spots instead of going off the grid where you’ll actually see something new

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              • If you want to see poor people and a completely different culture how about starting with the ones that live on the other side of your town (you know, the ones you typically avoid and act like don’t exist)

                PREACH. Its just not as trendy to help or even acknowledge the poor in your own back yard. Nobody cares that Sandra Bullock adopted a black baby straight outta New Orleans, but we can’t get enough of Madonna’s and Brangelina’s African babies. Its more exotic, lol.

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              • you do know that not every country outside the US is poor right? And what we would consider poor i.e. living in villages isn’t poor to them.

                Not to knock your comment, but learning about other countries and expanding your horizons is great. For example, going to Europe has taught me that there’s so much more to life than just working and making money. They’re soooo laid back out there and they work to live whereas we live to work. they’re not concerned.

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                • @S Emm

                  “For example, going to Europe has taught me that there’s so much more to life than just working and making money. They’re soooo laid back out there and they work to live whereas we live to work. they’re not concerned.”

                  You have to leave the country to see this? I learned this in my early 20s in Detroit.

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              • I’ve been to about 50% of the states, and to most of the major cities and metropolitan areas, and I must say I’m not very impressed with America. Not to say there’s not value or beauty in exploring this country, but I get so much more from exploring new places with different cultures and histories.

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              • @Corey

                “If you want to see poor people and a completely different culture how about starting with the ones that live on the other side of your town (you know, the ones you typically avoid and act like don’t exist)?”

                I agree. Don’t tell me about being here or there and you refuse to step foot in the hood parts of your city. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with traveling but I notice that some people that have traveled are just as ignorant as people that haven’t been anywhere. Leaving the U.S. does make you enlightened by default.

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            • ++++++1

              It just shows people who are open minded. People really don’t realize how different the rest of the world is.

              honestly, traveling outside the US has helped me realize and understand so much more about my own country and why people view us the way they do.

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              • Very true!! I’m a foreigner who grew up in NC but just moved to Mississippi. Though there are some drastic differences in the states, the mindsets are not all that different. There is still this sense of entitlement that is found here (even among the poor) that isnt found in other places around the world. For example, people can be poor in the states and still get food stamps and own Jordans and cellphones. Poor in other parts of the world is actually lacking completely!! Even food and water, and you certainly do not have luxuries like cellphones…just saying, there is a difference.

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            • yeah. i love you like a fat kid loves cake but thats bullmalarkey. been to singapore but ain’t seen no parts of anything past the mississippi river b/c its “just america”

              definitely some bougie sh*t.

              Reply ↓

            • What if he’s well-traveled, hasn’t been out of the country, but wants to eventually travel internationally? In the meantime, he’s well-read enough to have a worldview that transcends the American bubble?

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            • I agree! Regardless of where you go in this country it’s still American, especially now when most nationalities in American are focusing on assimilation.

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              • @AtypicalDoubleX- Good point about the assimilation thing. Travel within America and across the globe is enlightening and can even prove lucrative regardless of which one comes first. As long as the person has the desire to see new places and things, or at the very least is open to it. I can’t be in a relationship with a close-minded person or a person that is overly reluctant to leave their comfort zone

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              • The assimilation thing is a myth thanks to racism and xenophobia an also peoples own pride in their ethnic and/or religious communities in America. No, Americans are not all the same.

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            • I agree, Liz. And it’s not something we’re not doing ourselves. We just expect a potential dude to have similar interests and experiences as us. World travel is important.

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      • My job affords me the opportunity to travel to a different country every week, usually in Africa or South America. I have dated men with no passports with the idea that oh they’ll get one, but they never do. I have learned that someone who has a broader perspective on life around the world will have a difference of opinion on so many things (gender roles, religion, financial freedom, politics, etc.) than someone who has stayed inside of 285 in Atlanta, or even someone who has never left the country. Plus he needs to be able to travel with me enjoy the perks of my job. Those of us who travel alone understand that sometimes it just isn’t fun unless you have someone to share it with. My friends would never classify me as boogie, but definitely educated and cultured and I see no problem with that.

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    • An explanation for the passport thing…bougie girls hate, hate, hate the idea of having to upgrade a ninja.

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    • “The passport thing, while not my requirement, is I guess understandable. See, we want a man who is well-traveled. Sure he can get a passport to go on a trip with me but that’s not the point. The point is, have you been anywhere outside of the country? Has it ever crossed your mind to make it happen before I met you?”

      The whole passport thing is boderline bougie. I had to check a young lady because she was going in on a cat at a house party because he didn’t have a passport. I reminded her just because you went to Cancun AFTER they made passports a requirement does not make you a world traveler. A better question to access the bougie factor would be where have you been in your travels? Cancun and Caribana get you sent back to go without $200.

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      • Right, like if you’ve only been in the Western Hemisphere…you don’t get to criticize someone else for not having a passport. Caribbean, Canada, and Mexico do not count.

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        • I semi-disagree. There are some Caribbean countries that bring you a whole different set of ideas about the world. You can’t tell me spending over a week in Haiti doesn’t affect a person’s viewpoint on Western culture and economic policies.

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          • You can’t tell me spending over a week in Haiti doesn’t affect a person’s viewpoint on Western culture and economic policies.

            The thing is many of these ppl talking about passports are not going to Haiti….they are talking about vacationing in Cancun and nice spots in Jamaica. Ask how many ppl here with passports here actually went to Haiti

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          • Right, but when people to to the Caribbean, they aren’t going to see the impoverished nations. If they do, they are staying at a resort and not leaving the resort (ie Punta Cana, DR)

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      • “Cancun and Caribana get you sent back to go without $200.”

        Which is ALL I been. I am self-aware like a mug. I know that ain’t real travelin’… babysteps. lol

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        • No worries love. I just hate it when women try to use having a passport as criteria for “being on my level” when prior to changes in the law all you needed was your birth certificate. I want to see the stamps of the places you’ve been before ya get high post on me.

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    • Moscato shouldn’t be ordered or consumed in public.

      I cringe when someone I’m with asks if it’s available.

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      • Can someone inform the commoners that Moscato is a DESSERT drink and not something that should be drunk with every meal? You are not living the “good life” because your goon ass can afford Moscato.

        But bougie people with correct someone quick on their wine choices!

        Reply ↓

          • Try Riesling. Or Sauvignon Blanc. The former is sweet and fruity like moscato, but not as heavy-handed with the sugary rush.

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            • *clutches pearls*
              Oh but no no no. There are many different sorts of Riesling, not all are sweet.
              The German classifications are Kabinett,Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese which refer to the level of ripeness of the grapes used to make the wine.And they can be trocken,halbtrocken or lieblich, edelsuss. (dry, off dry,sweet,sweeeeeet)

              Its complicated. But no, Riesling is not always sweet nor neccessarily a dessert wine. Its a varietal that can be made in many different styles.

              “I’m not bougie”

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      • That’s ANY hip hop liquor for me. Absolut, Moscato, Nuvo, Ciroc, etc. If it makes me bougie for not wanting to drink what was made “popular” due to a rap lyric, then bougie I will be.

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        • Is it possible that people liked a lot of these before rappers started talking about them? I’m just saying…for someone who loves the sweeter wines/beverages, Moscato, Riesling, Zinfandel, and Sangria mixes are the common choices…if we were to follow this logic, no one with “class” would ever buy a mercedes, cadillac, a yacht or a condo… just saying

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      • In general, people who want Moscato, want it because it’s sweeter, but they don’t know that other wines may be as well.

        General Advice: order a domestic Reisling – they are sweet and have a higher alcohol content than Moscato (and similar price per glass- maybe 2 dollars more)

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    • I agree with you on the passport thing. and being from NYC with family from the Carib everyone I knew had a passport since birth. But I also feel like by the time you’re 25 you should have a passport. even if you haven’t been outside the country. That’s just something that every grown person should have.

      But I agree, as soon as I hear you don’t have a passport, the first thing that comes to mind is that you haven’t really traveled anywhere. At least take a spring break trip to Cancun or something.

      Plus this whole asking him to get one, that’s a process that takes time. I want to be able to travel when I want without waiting for homeboy to get his paperwork together.

      But bougie girls also make plans to make extravagant trips. Trips to Miami and Vegas for anything other than a wknd getaway doesn’t cut it anymore. My girls and I are planning a trip to Spain/Morocco as we speak.

      Are we bougie? I don’t think so. No?

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    • I agree with Liz on the passport thing. I’m not saying you can’t be worldly having never traveled outside of the country but I would like to know you’ve been on a plane for more than 3 hours. Plus the whole— Americans think we’re the best— mentality flies out the window if a person can actually visit countries where people consume education like we consume a Big and Tasty and see that we are (sometimes) on some bull.

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    • “LMAO at ‘I’m so ratchet.’ Yes. THIS. I hate the word, mostly cuz bougie ppl use it in place of “ghetto” but seem to think they’re taking some moral high road because of it.”

      Wow, really? Hmmm, perspective. Because I first heard the word from comedians (well, mostly eComedians) and I thought it was a funny word. And the perfect word to describe people who dab in foolery. I had no idea bougie folks used it in that way. Interesting. lol

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      • Ratchet sounds worse than ghetto. It sounds like some cracked out chick with a horrible weave and tattoos in all the wrong places with a cigarette hanging from her mouth with barely any clothes on and the clothes are tattered. NOTHING sounds right about the word.

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        • LOL, I just think the word is hilarious. My beef with ghetto (and why it sounds worse, IMO) is because it’s a PLACE… and folks have changed it up to mean a state of mind (a stereotypical made-up one at that lol) which doesn’t always apply to folks who live in the ghetto.

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          • @Cheekie, you’re all too right about it being a place that doesn’t necessarily describe its inhabitants

            @Mena, not much can be right about a word that was spread into the mainstream by Lil Boosie.

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          • Is it wrong that I thought of you when they made the comment about “ratchet”?

            It is, isn’t it?

            My bad.

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            • LMFAO. You are the second person to tell me this. Sane said the same thing on the Twittuhs.

              I’mma tell you what I told her: you saying that is the “proudest moment of my day”

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    • All of you who are ashamed to eat fried chicken, watermelon, or soul food in public have identity issues. None of those words or are synonymous with Black. You’re concerned about being judged meanwhile the people you’re concerned about judging are enjoying those same foods PLUS their damn casserole! If you don’t eat like a heathen, don’t deny yourself certain foods in public because you become self-conscious of your race. Just live…proudly damnit!

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  7. I’m 3 out of the 8 on the list. Guess I’m not bougie. Sweeet. Boughetto, on the other hand…totally different story.

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  9. Bougie?? Nooo…..I can’t stand a so called “Bougie black person” Really any individual that comes at me with that behavior most certainly will get the side eye. I will quickly return them to reality. By the way how is a love for Target Bougie? I happen to love!!!Target and live there part time. Its just a great store! Back to my post, any who there are a lot of mistaken, I want to act bougie folks in Houston and I can’t understand why? Have they seen this city?…Hardly qualifies for that behavior.

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    • I would say that Target is a much better shopping experience than walmart. Walmart sometimes (according to the location) can be straight rachet. Anyways…I always feel somewhat bougie when I’m at Target.

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      • Walmart is the straight devil. I do Super Target any day. Different clientele and everything. No lines or shirtless people

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      • I’m in agreement with you regarding Walmart vs. Target shopping in Chicago. Target is also a part of a wonderful mall area with a WholeFoods, Starbucks, LA Fitness, etc. The trip to Target is always such a pleasant overall experience for me.

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  10. My addition has to go right after “I’m not bougie”…..and that addition, ironically, would be…

    “Oh, don’t let the bougie fool you!”

    Reply ↓

      • Your post is giving me all kinds of deja vu b/c I’ve committed some of these so called bougie crimes just in the past week alone.

        True Story: Dude 2 months out of jail called me bougie, while flirting with me. (Wow what a great way to impress a girl… Call her names.) My response, “Don’t let the bougie-ness fool you… I’ll [shank shank motion] you.” He laughed b/c he thought I was cute. But I was serious. I’m living in Detroit right now and I pity the fool.

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    • “Oh, don’t let the bougie fool you!”

      YAASSSS!! Funny that I was about to go off on the previous comment throwing shade at Houston (leader in the oil/gas industry as well as the healthcare arena in terms of professionals)…and end by saying “don’t let the bougie fool you”. I decided to refrain but read your comment next. OMG

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  12. bougie is not a term i generally use, but i readily admit to sprinkles of elitism….

    with regards to the passport thing….yes, one can be procured. i think sometimes the thought process is something like, “you are a grown azz man, and at NO point has it EVER jumped into your head that you might want to leave the country in all these years? really??” this is based on conversations me and my bougie friends have had….it speaks to a lack of curiosity about/interest in the world beyond their doorstep. a curiosity that is definitely attractive all the bougie black girls that i know.

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    • Not to throw shade at that mentality, but actually throwing shade. It’s absolutely bullsh!t. Most of the people that get a passport do basically the same exact garbage tourists from Kansas do when they go to NYC. Except everything is now “exotic”.

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      • @ Malik

        Ur my hero for that comment…

        I havent left the country yet, but this is the year I work on that…would love to visit Cuba before it gets Americanized.

        On a side note…Robin Givens is supposed to start teaching at a local college in my city this year(Miles College).

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      • I’m in agreement..

        Do most American tourists go to Egypt, Ghana, South Africa (where there are cities and a smattering of Americana just in case you get homesick) ..or are you going to war torn Nigeria or Sudan… where you might get caught up in something you aren’t prepared for?

        (SN..I am really irritated by Americans that DO feel the need to go hiking in Iran and expect to be rescued….Mt McKinley is pretty damn tall, stay your behind at home!)

        For those that are traveling abroad to do good..I don’t knock your sincerity..but all of that can be done right here in the US.
        There are people right here in America who are hungry, homeless, no insurance, HIV infected, human trafficked, child soldiers (gang members), natural disaster victimized, etc right here in the good ole USA. Name a atrocity that’s happening abroad, you might just find it here. What’s profoundly sad about what’s happening in our own backyard is that we take for granted that EVERYONE can lift themselves out of a downtrodden situation and fulfill the “American Dream..” That dream ain’t for everyone.

        For those that are trying to experience different cultures..
        You can go to Chinatown, stay in a ‘hostel’ and immerse yourself in culture not knowing lick of Cantonese right here in San Francisco. LOL

        Okay..I’m not saying that you can’t learn something new from traveling abroad..but I don’t get how people feel that staying in the US you are missing out on experiencing something bigger than yourself, when really it is just a matter of opening your mind and your heart, and being resourceful.

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        • Erm, Nigeria isn’t war-torn. There is VERY LITTLE Americanized about Ghana (and if you had to pick a more western country, Nigeria would definitely win). Assuming that you can find everything in America (or can believe the news) is exactly why people are saying “you need to travel more”. There is waaaay more out there than your imagination can handle. Yes, visit all of America, but definitely see the world too. *takes off bougie hat*

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          • yea, Nigeria ain’t war-torn, it is NY on a lot of steroids, but war-torn, i do.not.think.so.

            and yes traveling period gives you new perspectives on life. I dealt with severe culture shock when I first moved to Atlanta from Chicago and that is only 700 miles apart. So I agree that you don’t need to go abroad for those experiences, but the thing is, most folks never step outside of 30 miles of their city.

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            • You guys are right.

              Nigeria isn’t war torn. It was late and I got too ‘excited’ in my post. I shouldn’t have said that.

              However, all is not peaceful there right now with the massive protest..and my point is that there are a lot of people that go ‘abroad’ to experience something new, when the only thing they experience is America in another country.

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              • Not just massive protests, but massive bloodbaths. People are actually dying. Oversimplifying it.

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          • Okay. Overgeneralization here. Nigeria is a country. As a whole, I would not exactly call it westernized. There are, however, a few very westernized cities within the country. There are also some very war-torn areas (Jos, for instance). Like many Americans, there are also people in Nigeria who have never visited poor cities and villages. Even in those westernized cities, wealth has a different meaning.

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      • “basically the same exact garbage tourists from Kansas do when they go to NYC. Except everything is now “exotic”.

        Lol I agree with this…..You will do the same things in those countries as you do here. I oftentimes think many people travel so they can brag to others and show them pretty pictures of wherever they visited (when they could have done those same activities within the country)

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      • I ran into a herd of fat loud obnoxious Midwesterners at the Eiffel Tower. What should I have expected, right? But, hey, how do you go to Paris for the first time and not do the cheesy stuff?

        I got bougie-tested once by a student while in India. She asked if I had ever been abroad before. I told her Europe, and she acted dismissive until I told her I’d been to Tianjin, China.

        #stayingonestepaheadofbougie

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          • She was throwing me so much shade. I guess she decided she didn’t like me b/c I was a Western academic. I was thinking “look here Miss Mississippi Masala, don’t forget I’m brown and have oppression baggage, too.” *head wobble*

            But, I have to admit that if I were some snotty poverty tourist, then her attitude would have been completely justified.

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      • I’m gonna have to disagree. While many people just travel to brag and get pretty pictures, there is nothing more disgusting than a grown man with no curiosity. If all you want to know is all you’ve known, get the eff out of my face. A passport may be a bad shortcut sign for curiosity, but it is one sign.

        I cannot stand men who won’t try new foods, turn their nose up at different cultures, etc. This means their minds are made up about pretty much everything. That is the definition of ignorant. And I want no parts of it. Maybe you’ve never traveled, but if you are not curious about other cultures, you and me ain’t going far.

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        • actually, THIS is the definition of ignorant:

          1.
          lacking in knowledge or training; unlearned: an ignorant man.
          2.
          lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact: ignorant of quantum physics.
          3.
          uninformed; unaware.
          4.
          due to or showing lack of knowledge or training: an ignorant statement.

          you are speaking about closemindedness. be more bougie.

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          • LOL, you putting the actual definition reminds me how folks get up in ARMS (legs, feet, and torso too) over being called ignorant. Like… the actual world means unaware which… if you ain’t know something… you didn’t. The shame is not knowing some ish, it’s not being open to learning it. It’s just funny… how that word has… “evolved.”

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        • I feel you, but I’m with PJ on this one. Truth be told, hood ninjas tend to be MORE open-minded about things that close-minded types. It isn’t a hard and fast rule, as there are close-minded hood types and open-minded bougie people, but the tendency is definitely there.

          The broader point is that people should be willing to step outside the box and try something new. Of course, this can be overdone to the point of trying to make someone into something they aren’t, but the effort should be made.

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          • The hood/ bougie dichotomy you described there reminds me if when I was set up and dismissed by a hood-loyal cat back in Roxbury. He thought he had “won” and proved that I was clse-minded when I turned down his invitation to a fried chicken place. I told him I tried it already and the food and service were terrible. I’m not bougie, I just lack unconditional hood-loyalty.

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          • Im referring to the wild cougar definition of ignorant. Ignoring things not perched on the end of your own nose. And I don’t use the term close minded, because it is too often used as a synonym for relativist or believing in nothing. Hood folks are relativists because they’ve seen a lot of stuff, perched on their noses. Being hood and being ignorant are not one and the same, however.

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    • My personal take on the passport requirement.

      It might appear to be a clever and efficient way to screen for the “worldly” type, but it’s too flawed and encourages laziness on the part of the person using it as a criterion.

      It takes more time and effort to truly assess whether a guy is culturally curious, open-minded, has had enriching life experiences, and has interesting stories to share with you.

      Side note, some appreciation of the non-worldly folks: the guys who are filtered out as “non-worldly” are often great guys who have never traveled outside of their home town, and are totally fulfilled by the nurturing aspect of seeing all of the people in their neighborhood and city grow up, get married, go to school, etc. (cue John Mellencamp’s “Small Town”) and know their names, their kids names, etc.

      I don’t put those guys down, but, when it comes to mating and dating I do seek out the guys like me who have opted for a different type of fulfillment that comes from uprooting oneself and traveling, studying other cultures, etc. When you’re truly looking for someone you can relate with, you take the time to do so instead of relying too heavily on filters and short cuts…ideally.

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    • My ten-year- old daughter had her first passport at age four and she already had it renewed. I do not understand why a grown man would not own a passport. It should be mandatory! LOL!

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      • Since children’s passports expire every five years, I’m about to renew my seven year old son’s passport. I like to travel domestically and internationally and enjoy socializing with other folks who travel.

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  13. My addition has to go right after “I’m not bougie” …. and said addition, ironically, would be

    “Oh, don’t let the bougie fool you!”

    Reply ↓

    • lmao @ “don’t let the bougie fool you”

      yea i always see that when bougie chicks get caught in a “bitch you got me effed up” situation lol. they throw that bougie ish out the window

      Reply ↓

      • “Oh, don’t let the bougie fool you!”

        I’ve always noticed bougie girls say that but don’t actually know how to handle themselves in physical altercations…..they just have a lot of mouth with nothing to back it up lol

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  14. I would love a man with a passport and i do ask, even though i don’t have one (stay out my pockets!) yet. But I am NOT Bougie!! LOL! That Thai food thing makes sooo much sense now, I was just introduced to it by my sis (a Delta) and now I know why!! Her ass is super bougie!

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    • I was never into Thai food like that. I mean it’s in the rotation of foods I enjoy.

      But my bougie friends must be on another level because they took Thai cooking classes together. So I guess it is a “thing.”

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  16. Okay, so according to your list, I might be bougie. But you are so DC it’s not even funny! We don’t get much nearly as much Ethiopian food (my absolute favorite – over Thai as a close second choice) in Chicago as y’all do in DC.
    I must admit you make a great points with your bougie-meter though.
    Great post, as usual!

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  17. Target ‘gasms are real…and they’re fantastic. That’s all I’m gonna say about that.

    I think “bougie” is a lifestyle choice. I just don’t think I am…not that there’s anything wrong with it.

    Hmmm…two accidental Seinfeld references in one sitting…well, at least *that’s* not on your list.

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    • Target at Christmas though??? Multiple Tar-gasms! Me and my girl went NUTS over there when shopping for our holiday party.

      I almost didn’t agree with Target being bougie, but then I thought about that East Liberty regentrification in Pittsburgh. Wal-mart would have been a HUGE step down….*shrug* #callmebougie

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      • The sad part is that now, price-wise, Target and Wal-Mart are about neck and neck…but while the quality of Target’s clothes have gone up, Wal-Mart’s has plummeted. I used to be able to get these awesome V-necked T-shirts from there that were form-fitted with that great thi fabric and perfect for screen-printing for $5. They discontined them a few years back and it’s been downhill ever since.

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    • I have shopped at Target approximately twice and I just don’t get it. WTF is going on in Target?? There’s always a good time for a Seinfeld reference.

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      • High end designers actually do limited edition cost-friendly lines for Target. It’s all kinds of awesome…and the closest I’ll probably ever get to haute couture…cuz I am super frugal in the clothes dept…further proving my lack of bourgicity.

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        • guilty. but made an application appt for end of this month.

          But as a young adult, like the commenter below, I didn’t have much interest in international travel. I wholly believed that the US was interesting enough (as a child who moved around).
          Part of the international travel admittedly comes from more off folks’ POVs rubbing off on me, and their judgment.

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    • I understand traveling for traveling sake but the truth is America is big enough and diverse enough for you to spend a lot of time just trying to discover it. We have deserts and glaciers. Beaches and mountains. Cities and farms. So many cultures. So many different ways of life. People brag about using there passports but have never even been to Cincinnati.

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      • This. And the fact that some people’s peace of mind isn’t brought about by going to 15 different cliche spots in the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Nigeria/Egypt.

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      • So true…I’m all for traveling abroad, but there’s alot to see just here in the U.S. How many folks can say they’ve seen/visited most of the states in the continental US?

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        • There’s 50 of them. After the first 10, you get the idea. I’ve never seen Bismark, North Dakota, but I think I get more out of a trip to Goa, India. Or anywhere for that matter.

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          • Hawaii, Alaska, California, Texas, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Michigan, and Nevada are all vastly different states.

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            • I’m all for traveling our country and, yes, these are vastly different states, but you will find the same things there: the Gap, Target, PF Chang, etc. and people who speak English. Going to a different country, being forced to speak another language makes you think differently.

              Going to other countries also signifies that you’re a curious person, someone up for adventure. You really get to know someone when you travel with them. Are they a whiner? Do they rely on you to try to figure out the local language? Do they always look for the McDonald’s instead of trying the local cuisine? That exerience will tell you about your future life together.

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              • +1

                Almost got run off the road in VW because I was dropping off my white female teamates in Cleveland on my way to Wisconsin. Too many funny stories to tell about the people when we stopped for food.

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              • (This is to SS93, but I didn’t want 2 words a line)

                The reason I mentioned WV was because of a misguided family vacation my dad managed to talk the family into when I was 9. It isn’t the nicest place in the world, but it was definitely educational. I was only there a week, but that stuff is still seared onto my brain.

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        • Well, I’m from Cincinnati but I don’t live there anymore but if you think that you have to go 8 thousand miles to learn something new, feel free. BTW- congrats, you spelled Cincinnati correctly. You must be bougie.

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        • “Why would anyone WANT to go to Cincinnati?”

          Only for the Underground Railroad Museum while in the Midwest for another reason.

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      • Well said!I’ve been outside the country but that’s not a requirement for the person I’m dating. Most bougie ppl who travel abroad just go to the same tourist places. Unless your spending a year somewhere living among the ppl in the village don’t complain about a man not being well traveled. I honestly believe women who have that requirement are just being elitist. Well sux for them cause their missing out on great men. #staysingle

        Reply ↓

      • I understand traveling for traveling sake but the truth is America is big enough and diverse enough for you to spend a lot of time just trying to discover it.

        very true. ironically, most of the passport nazis have probably only been to like five cities outside of the one they grew up in (d.c., nyc, atl, chicago, and youngstown)

        Reply ↓

        • According to this article I would be of the bougie variety. But my confusion is why commentators believe that Domestic and International travel must be mutually exclusive. I’ve been to 40+ U.S. cities spanning 24 states and 15+ international destinations.

          I sprinkle in a few international trips every chance I get, including an opportunity to study abroad in high school. I think it would have been naive of me to say to my teacher, “I haven’t been to enough U.S. cities yet so I don’t think it’s a good idea to immerse myself in another culture at this time.”

          I love travelling but for me it includes both domestic and international. As far as dating goes, I would hope that my partner is interested in traveling too. Considering I fly about 100,000 miles a year, it would be important to have a partner interested in joining me regardless of location. He doesn’t have to have a passport today, but I would hope he has aspirations to obtain one and expand his horizons beyond our awesome country.

          Reply ↓

      • “I understand traveling for traveling sake but the truth is America is big enough and diverse enough for you to spend a lot of time just trying to discover it. ”

        This is actually true. Like… I work with UK folks and they came over here to travel the country (like, from the Chi to NYC… which, that’s just one side lol) and were like… WOW, now I see why ya’ll don’t travel outside the country much… It’s so big and has SO many things. Like, they can go to an entirely different country (with an entirely different culture/language) just on the train. We don’t necessarily have that luxury unless you talmbout Canada. lol

        Reply ↓

        • Even more ironic is the fact that a countryside village in France isn’t that much different than one in Germany or Ireland. A bougie person may see nothing special about America, but how do you think a European feels about Europe? It is up to you to decide what is exciting, new, and intriguing to you. I am just as stoked about my trip to Alaska as I am about my trip to Australia. They are BOTH new experiences.

          Reply ↓

          • Right! They shrug it off like… Eh, I’m going to France for the weekend. I be like HOW is that just a weekend trip? Different perspectives like a mug.

            And WORD on how you view places. That’s how we all should. Only thing that differs in location is how long you gone have to be on that dayum plane… which is more of an inconvience than anything. lol But other than that, if I haven’t seen something… I go in there all wide-eyed (not literally because my wide-eyed is…. o_o) just like any other place. And our own country has spectacular things to see just as much as another country.

            Reply ↓

  19. I am not going to lie whenever I get called bougie, which is on a regular basis these days, I always say no. I think it’s an automatic response. like, “did you steal those cookies?” “no” with crumbs all over your face. Its automatic.

    “did [he/she] go to Howard?” is very common amongst Howard negros.

    Reply ↓

    • any time I hear somebody say, “did he/she go to Howard?” I’m always afraid somebody will say yes b/c that will prove that person makes terrible decisions in life.

      my guitar gently weeps for those people.

      btw, i actually got into an argument with a woman from Howard recently where she got SO pissed at me for not acknowledging that Howard is this great bastion of…something…that she turned her back on me and actually got upset. Told me that people are usually impressed that she went to Howard. Me? Those folks don’t really set their sights to high in life do they?

      Spelhouse.

      Reply ↓

      • that is so disrespectful…

        everybody knows that Howard is the mecca of everything great… I mean its common knowledge

        I would insert something disrespectful about Morehouse girls and Spelman Women.. but I shant. Its my birthday, can’t waste my time on this rubbish.

        Reply ↓

  20. “i’m such a foodie”: bougie chicks love the most obscure non-traditional dishes and restaurants just for the sake having ppl ask “whats that?” so they can explain “well its this a fish thats caught only on leap years every 30yrs, i found out about at this restaurant that has 10yr backlog of reservations”

    “i love OPI”: bougie chicks love nail polish, especially OPI. OPI takes the basic 7 colors of rainbow and name each color 30 different crazy names and bougie chicks objective is to get every color

    “(insert rachet reality show) in my guilty pleasure”: bougie chicks justify watching RHOA, basketball wives and love&hip-hop by saying its their “guilty pleasure” lol. it makes them feel less rachet than rest of chicks watching, bc god forbid they enjoy same rachet shows of chicks that don’t love brunch as much as them

    Reply ↓

    • ” “i love OPI”: bougie chicks love nail polish, especially OPI. OPI takes the basic 7 colors of rainbow and name each color 30 different crazy names and bougie chicks objective is to get every color”

      \o…guilty lol

      Reply ↓

    • That’s hilarious. I do all three LOL. The food thing is because my mom is the queen feeding me organic and gourmet growing. OPI is the bomb though…..Vh1 provides wonderful ignorance. You gotta add Mob Wives to that. They fight too!

      Reply ↓

        • Bougie women go to a spa and get a massage, a Brazilian, facial, mani and pedi regularly. She won’t go to the Asian nail shops because of the health risks to her feet.

          Reply ↓

          • I’m laughing at this because my homegirl was just telling me that I’m bougie because I get a mani/pedi at a spa and understand my Caucasian American nail tech. She says I’m EXTRA bougie because I’ve had laser hair removal. :|

            I just like to understand the person doing my nails and with the laser? A much better investment in my opinion.

            Reply ↓

          • LMAO! I’m terrified of getting something @ some broke down shop, but would love to get pedicures – I insist I’m not bougie, especially since I can’t afford my “spa” visits right now, LOL

            Reply ↓

          • LMBO!!!I do all of that. I don’t trust those places but the spa is so great. I have an appointment tomorrow.

            Reply ↓

          • LOL, yes Bougie people care about the ethnicity of service providers. Dominicans for hair, Whites for nails, Asians for pedis…

            Reply ↓

            • I’m Dominican and I always say we’re the best for hair because in my country we have a wide variety of hair types. I could marry a Saudi prince and I’d have him fly my Dominican hair dresser to Riyadh if necessary cuz I don’t trust many non-Dominicans with my hair LOL

              Reply ↓

    • Omgosh I definitely said that exact phrase two days ago in reference to Love and Hip Hop . . . But I’m not bougie . . *hair flips*

      Reply ↓

    • SO TRUE! Every now and then I “happen to catch” RHOA. I would never admit to watching it or knowing anyone’s name on that show in public…”NeNe who?” ;-)

      Reply ↓

    • word to big bird, i stay away from women who tell me that they’re foodies b/c that’s code for: “you’re about to spend an arm and a leg every time we go out to eat. trust and believe, ni**a”

      Reply ↓

      • I disagree, Champ. A foodie can be just as happy getting a nice chicken roti from the local Trini take-out spot as going to some uber-expensive sit-down restaurant.

        Reply ↓

        • Very accurate. Foodie is just another word for “not afraid of food and loves to eat good food”

          Reply ↓

    • “i love OPI”: bougie chicks love nail polish, especially OPI. OPI takes the basic 7 colors of rainbow and name each color 30 different crazy names and bougie chicks objective is to get every color

      YESSS! I am definitely an OPI heaux (bougie way of saying garden tool)… and Essie is another one! Both of which.. are at Target. Circle! 3 dollars and six dimes!

      Reply ↓

  22. Eh…I wouldn’t know. Bougie women are usually afraid of me so our interactions are relatively brief.

    Reply ↓

      • I’m not completely sure. My mom is pretty damn bougie (AKA’in and all that) but it didn’t really rub off on me. I’m pretty cultured because she wouldn’t tolerate less but I can’t hop fully on board that ship. I’m too normal I guess.

        Reply ↓

      • Now I may look a tad bit goonish from time to time, I say plenty of socially unacceptable things, I may or may not have told a woman that the scars on my hand came from slappin bishes with slick mouths, but that’s no reason to prejudge me.

        Reply ↓

  23. This is cute. My first thought when I saw the post was, I hate the word “Bougie”, sounds like something I would call one of my cousins friends from “around the way”.

    These are just normal things to me. A passport is a must have and you should have added something about #FFM (freq fly miles)! Hello! And forget the Thai food but I will do Sushi, LOL. Bougie, ok.

    Reply ↓

  24. Is the passport the upgrade/substitute for the library card since it might get rendered obsolete by e-readers?

    Reply ↓

  26. By the way who even invented the word “Bougie”? I never heard this word used regularly as a description of behavior until I moved around black people….

    Reply ↓

    • They were the middle to upper class during the French revolution and were the proponents of capitalism.

      Reply ↓

      • My friend hates to be called “bougie” because it’s really a fancy way of saying middle class. He prefers the term “aristo,” short for aristocrat (he is quite elitist lol). I think this is a great example of why knowing the etymology of words is important, because many of our popular colloquialisms degrade the nuance of language.

        Reply ↓

        • Exactly. The term has changed to mean uppity in the black community which really just means you think you are better than where you came from or from where people assume you came from.

          Reply ↓

      • My friend actually hates the word “bougie” because it’s just a fancy way to say middle class. He prefers the term “aristo,” short aristocrat (he happens to be quite elitist, although unintentionally so lol). I think this is a good example of why knowing the etymology of words is so important, because much nuance of language is lost in our popular colloquialisms.

        Reply ↓

    • what a good question. i’ve heard the word “bougie” since I was young. Clearly it is a nickname for bourgeois but when did it start getting used? How many generations does it go back? Gonna ask my mom if she remembers hearing that word when young.

      Reply ↓

      • Actually J.Crew isn’t really all that expensive. I got a couple of things from J.Crew and I am far from bougie. Also, about this time of the year…..their sales are pretty sick.

        Reply ↓

        • “expensive” is TOTALLY relative. Shit I make more thank 60K a year but I still find JCrew expensive. $60 for a shirt? Sale rack only for me.

          Reply ↓

          • I know “expensive” is relative lol. But as a guy, I really don’t mind spending $60 for a shirt, sweater, etc. Until recently (with the increased popularity of H&M, Zara, etc) quality men clothes were relatively expensive. I always been a quality > quantity person in regards to clothes.

            Reply ↓

            • wait…does H&M count as quality clothing? I’ve always viewed it as the step above knock-off for the folks who didn’t want to spend all their money at UrbanOutfitters or Banana Republic.

              Basically, its Old Navy.

              Reply ↓

                • It’s a step above Old Navy in terms of style, IMO. But not necessarily price. It’s some CHEAP ish at H&M. They be having DEALS… which is why I love it. They’re not really in the same lane as Zara… though they are getting partnerships with high fashion designers, so there’s that. They’re basically one of those stores with a very wide range of prices. Very wide. It’s toooo wiiiiide. It won’t fiiiit.

                  Reply ↓

                  • I’ve been in H&M in NYC.
                    1) I couldn’t fit a damn thing in there on my BEST day.
                    2) I refuse to shop anywhere the worker and clientele are both about 90% ghey.

                    Reply ↓

        • J Crew is awesome but compared to other chain stores it is expensive. J Crew also has awesome sale prices, you can get clothes that were originally over a $100 for about $30.

          Reply ↓

      • Bougie women competed with White women who love Oprah in the mad rush to buy Michelle Obama’s J. Crew dresses too!

        Reply ↓

  28. Side note. Why do girls who attended “Haaaaampton.” think it’s such a big freakin’ deal? I was in a room with grads from FAMU, Emory, Harvard, Miami of Ohio and this chick was just spooging herself over being a “Haaaaaaampton” Grad. I don’t get it.

    Reply ↓

      • I’m not hating, just trying to figure out what’s so Haaaaaapton has that Harvard, Vanderbilt, and Miami of Ohio don’t have that makes women from there so corny.

        Reply ↓

      • Oh, well, that clears everything up. I suppose Miami of Ohio, Harvard and Vanderbilt were built on former city garbage dumps. Hey. I don’t really have a prob with Hampton but just want to know why they ride their own jocks so hard.

        Reply ↓

        • this!!! co-signing!

          me: i went to school in atlanta
          them: where did you go?
          me: spelman
          them: ohhhhh!
          me: what does that mean?
          them: you’re one of those girls

          don’t lump us in this category though, most people project this on us

          Reply ↓

          • a.chigozie – that there is all that needs to be said about Spelman women. I can’t stand that categorization (that there was my own bourgeoisness coming out – see how I’m using “big sounding” words to elevate myself?!) It’s not our fault that we aspire to do more and amazing feats in the world!

            Reply ↓

    • ouch! as a hampton grad, i guess i’ll answer this. in my opinion, hampton is really not that big a deal outside of a certain group of black people and some in-the-know whites. i guess there are people who pronounce it that way(??) and feel that way about it, though.

      hampton is a sort of “bougie mecca,” if you will: an hbcu in a beautiful place that’s much safer than dc and more “exclusive” (boring) than atlanta. quite a few of the kids i knew had attended majority white schools for most of their lives, so their parents sent them to hampton to “get some culture.” i even encountered one guy from the same area as me who wouldn’t associate w/me b/c i’m from the hood.

      if the person is a 2nd (or more) generation hamptonian, it’s probably indoctrination. but there are some rules/ a campus structure that kind of put that idea in people’s heads, too. especially if the person becomes a greek and/or joins the biggest clique on campus….

      Reply ↓

    • well when nobody gives a f*ck about you outside of your classmates you tend to overcompensate by trying to make your school sound more important than it is.

      i usually attribute this to Howard, but Hampton fits in quite nicely there too.

      #shotsfired
      #allshade

      Reply ↓

  29. Thai is bougie because it’s easy. It says, “I’m worldly” even though the flavors tend to be mild and generally pleasing to the palette. Get at me on some other Asian food (or any other cuisine that requires a refined palette) and we can talk. And yes according to this list I am bougie.

    Reply ↓

    • Personally, I just want a cup of light and sweet, preferably made with coffee and sugar grown under slave labor and milk from cows beaten and raped every day of their lives just to piss those nuts off. Your high-falutin’ latte doesn’t make you smart, it just makes you shallow and a suck up to trust-fund babies. #rantoff.

      Reply ↓

  31. Bougie women want to know what a guy’s parents do for a living and they cross their fingers in the hopes that their future mother in-law is also an AKA.

    Reply ↓

    • Real bougie does both. But only for certain things…. NEVER undergarments. But workout attire, home goods, and the occasional t-shirt are acceptable.

      Reply ↓

      • Yep, so true. Why buy lingerie at those places when european lingerie is higher quality, prettier, and you’ll have it longer.

        Reply ↓

        • ….and when your risk of catching something from nasty women who actually try on lingerie without underwear at these stores is minuscule. lmao

          Sidenote: It does matter where you buy your underwear. I won’t buy underwear that did not come directly from the warehouse for a reason!

          Reply ↓

      • Tjmaxx and Marshalls are my places! I love their designer shoe collection. I’ve gotten shoes from Marshall’s that were still full price at Nordstrom and other department store. I like the lingerie selection, the great bras that would be $60 at department store for fraction of the price.

        Reply ↓

    • Tjmaxx and Marshall’s are my store. You can get some bomb a$$ designer shoes at great prices. I’ve gotten shoes from Marshall’s that were still regular price at Nordstrom and other department stores.

      Reply ↓

  34. Some go natural just to appear semi-bohemian. They wear scarves with everything. Ascott this.

    Reply ↓

  35. Yo forgot to mention their love for Trader Joe’s.

    Also, I don’t own a passport. At this point I don’t want to get one just out of spite. Not having one helps me to feel like I can retain just a slither of gangsta. Not to mention, the US is a big azz country with almost any type of experience you can want to have. You don’t have to have a passport to be well traveled.

    Reply ↓

  36. True bougie requires your parents to still be married and it is at LEAST second generation $$. If she can’t roll up to mom and dad’s fat house then she’s just faking. Bougie also requires professional parents who went to a straight-up four-year institutions. If you’re first generation $$ then your kids can be bougie, but you’ll get flushed out as soon as somebody bougie sees YOUR parents.

    Reply ↓

    • Preach! A lot of modern day bougie people are faking the funk. Or, in terms the bougie can understand, are nouveau working/middle class.

      Shoot, I am not bougie, I’m bougie-aspirational.

      Reply ↓

      • And THAT, Mr Champ, is why I’m not bougie. I’m first generation immigrant, first generation college grad, I am on my way to the land of the Bouge… And hopefully, my kids will be able to legitimately call themselves Bougie.

        Reply ↓

    • Preach! A lot of modern day bougie people are faking the funk. Or, in terms the bougie can understand, are nouveau working/middle class.

      Shoot, I am not bougie, I’m bougie-aspirational.

      Reply ↓

    • I think there is a difference between upper class and bougie. To me, bougie is a person who places priority on *appearing* to be wealthy and worldly when they are actually not.

      Reply ↓

    • Well, until my parents divorced, I qualified as bougie on my mom’s side. My dad was so NOT bougie, because he was First Generation $$$…and a West Indian back when it wasn’t cool. That was a huge source of conflict in their marriage. That, and my mom was a Delta (and an emotionally abusive narcissistic female dog), and my dad was a womanizer who looked up one day, realized he had options with women and rolled out.

      Reply ↓

  37. Hmm, I only do one of the things listed here (say I’m not bougie), so I guess I’m safe *lol*. It’s probably because I’m too weird & quiet to be considered bougie. Now my friend who goes to NIU on the other hand…

    Reply ↓

  38. bougie girls say everything in an accent. yes they were born in america. so were their parents. but somehow they managed to learn english with a slight British accent. WHY?

    Reply ↓

  39. Bougie girls and women will tell you how they don’t eat unhealthy food, and that they don’t eat fried chicken and watermelon because of the White people, yet will tear up somebody’s fried chicken and watermelon if you get extra drinks in them.

    Reply ↓

  40. This just proves that Im not bougie like some ppl have pegged me to be.
    I’ve had a passport nice I was a toddler nd I DO NOT require guys I like to have one or to have travelled outside of the U.S.

    Also, I hate brunch. I think it’s stupid. My mother use to take me to brunch when I was…. as young as 8 yrs old and I just never got it- even as I became well-paid adult.

    Reply ↓

    • “This just proves that I’m not bougie like some ppl have pegged me to be. I’ve had a passport nice I was a toddler and I DO NOT require guys I like to have one or to have traveled outside of the U.S.”

      Amen.

      I’m on pp #3. We will get you one, and I’ll be flattered to experience your first trip out of the country with you.

      Reply ↓

  41. People actually still use the term “bougie”? Those who announce themselves with this label are usually far from bourgeois. Da hell announces that they are middle class as a reason to look down on others? We are all on the slippery slope to poverty right about now. Trader Joe’s is owned by Aldi and less expensive than Fresh Market and Whole Foods so what makes it bougie? The Walmart near my house changes from ghetto to white trash family week depending on the time of the month so it’s best to pass both Target and Walmart for the Dollar Tree.

    Reply ↓

  42. Bougie women know the proper way to eat the food, based on the dish’s cultural history. lol True bougie women don’t eat their fried chicken with fork and knife unless they’re trying to show off their bougie-ness to the non-bougie. lmao

    Bougie women will make sure their child appreciates Thai food. lmao

    Reply ↓

  43. Bougie women do their dirt secretly at home, rather than out in public, God-forbid someone who knows their parents sees them.

    Reply ↓

  44. I’ll pass on the bougie chick. Bougie girls are pretty lackluster in bed. I mean, if a chick has an attitude I’ll usually put up with it for the sex. But I heard bougie chicks don’t even have that going for them. “Like, I put up with all your mess, all this snobiness, all this attitude, this high maintanence crap only for you to deny me the Style Of The Dogs during sex? Really? My favorite position? You gotta bounce. And I want my Sade CDs back too!”

    I hope it isn’t true though, because females who are really pretty already have a reputation for being boring in bed. But a BOUGIE pretty girl? Like, who has a “Holier Than Thou” attitude while doing a 69?

    Reply ↓

    • thats why its good to get some liquor in her first and fried chicken, greens, mac and cheese and some watermelon. *lmao*

      Reply ↓

    • “I’ll pass on the bougie chick. Bougie girls are pretty lackluster in bed.”

      You know I keep hearing this repeated and I think there was a past post kinda relating to this statement. I can actually believe this…..I can’t see a person who is too uppity or siddity being a good lay ijs

      Reply ↓

    • Smart play. They’re so mediocre in bed its worse than being bad. Trust me. I’ve done the research. At least I can clearly remember the bad ones and the good ones. Bougie chicks just fade into Bolivia. #Notyson

      Reply ↓

  45. Bougie women keep their man at home if he’s a man her parents or friends will not approve of, and won’t admit she has a man. But if he’s the right man she’ll take him everywhere to meet everybody she knows.

    Reply ↓

      • No. Some of our more ratchet ladies will cuss their family and anybody else out over a no good man and don’t care who approves/disapproves of their relationship lol

        Reply ↓

        • Yep, Chanelle.

          Some will bring an ain’t shit man around their family and dare you to say something or she will hold his hand and say proudly, “That’s my man! I LOVE him!”

          Reply ↓

  47. Waiter approaches table “Will you be having still or sparkling water?” Sparkling with lime, thanks.

    When is the Nordstrom Half-yearly sale? I’m not spending my hard earned money at that step above Marshall’s department store Macy’s with all that signage.

    I’m not that bougie. I simply have preferences.

    Reply ↓

  49. Bougie chick @ restaurant: “It’s there a booth available?” Can also be replaced with: “Is there something available at the bar?”

    Reply ↓

  50. Oh my Gawd……this is me and my friends!!!! And the passport thing is so important…….I cant date a man that owes a lot of child support. I always thought I was regular……..

    Reply ↓

  52. My favorite: “I don’t cook.”
    They’ll have the marble countertops, the stainless steel appliances, all that, but can’t make a meal to save their life. But they can put down some food though.

    “Have you tried XxzYxxx? The calamari is divine!”
    Note, most folks would say “have you been to (restaurant name here). Bougie sisters are all about “trying” a restaurant and they have to name at least one high falutin’ food on the menu just so you KNOW that they’re into high brow cuisine. And they use words like “divine “, “delish”, “to die for”… Baby, ain’t no food worth dying for.

    “What wines do you have?”
    Bougie women ain’t neva going for the iced tea like the rest of us basic folk. They want wine, dagnabit, and you best know a thing or two about wine otherwise she’s kicking your unenculturated ninja behind to the curb. I remember this one bourgie chick telling how she had to kick this one dude to the curb because he said her bourdeaux smelt like basement. You don’t say no ratchedness like that about a bougie woman’s wine, people!

    I gotta say though, bougie women can be fun to hang out with sometimes. You can learn some interesting things from them. And they do get excited about the craziest stuff- entertaining to watch.

    Reply ↓

    • According to your list I’m not that bougie. I’ll cook and don’t know a damb thing about wine. But according to Champ’s list I do love Thai and brunch. Go figure.

      Reply ↓

    • ” My favorite: “I don’t cook.”
      They’ll have the marble countertops, the stainless steel appliances, all that, but can’t make a meal to save their life. But they can put down some food though.”

      And if you happen to cook them a meal, they will eat you out of house and home lmao

      Reply ↓

      • I figure bougie chicks would cook. How else can they share those exotic dishes and anecdotes of world travels with friends?

        Reply ↓

  53. YES to all of this!!! And let’s not forget the wine “connoisseurs” who tell you stuff that you can’t drink Moscato with dinner because it’s a dessert wine. I’ll drink what pleases MY palate, thank you very much.

    And shame on all the people who think lack of a passport = being willfully ignorant and incurious about the world. I’m extremely well read, enjoy museums, play an instrument, watched National Geographic for fun as a child, and started reading the newspaper in middle school. Circumstances haven’t allowed me to go out of the country yet. But I’ll be damned if I’ll let somebody tell me I’m uncultured because of it!

    Reply ↓

      • True, true! However, I hail from one of the black bougie capitals of the world (Atlanta) so by those standards I’m only bougie-lite. My fiance is from Houston and whenever I go there I’m reminded just how bougie I really am. We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast one day and he told me I was overdressed :-/

        Reply ↓

  54. I laughed all the way through the article. I have a friend who is a Delta…you hit the nail on the head! Talking to her, you’ll hear all those comments and then some in ONE conversation. Something I learned from her is that if you’re really bougie (I guess there are tiers), you buy your hair by the ounce.

    SN: I’m not bougie, but I LOVE Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Just thinking about that place makes me smile.

    Reply ↓

  55. “bougie motherf*ckers never seem to want to acknowledge their bougieness”

    I understand people not wanting to admit to your bouginess. When someone calls you bougie it’s like a backhanded compliment…. it can either mean classy or it could mean your too particular, not down to earth, boring, and noone wants to be around you (at least that’s the context I’ve heard it in)
    For example- “Girl lets go out tonight and please don’t invite your bougie lame a$$ cousin” (this is not a made up statement)

    Reply ↓

  57. Bougie Black girls are coffee snobs. Small cafe’s with organic fair trade coffee are essential. Starbucks is an option when all else fails and Dunkin Donuts is a non-muthaf*ckin factor.

    Reply ↓

    • Gotta argue that there is a difference between bougie and a coffee snob. Bougie people like being seen at Starbucks or other places they think are cute. Coffee snobs will go anywhere where the coffee is good and strong, they know where to get it, and they’ll be elitist about it to impress their coffee snob friends. Bougie people copy coffee snobs. I avoid telling bougie people that Starbucks espresso is actually kind of terrible.

      Reply ↓

  58. Cheap hair grease (you know the tub of green/blue stuff) and cheap store brand lotions are a no no as well.

    We’re using the Kinky Curly stuff in whole foods and other highly expensive hair moisturizers. No pink lotion.

    Reply ↓

    • Sorry, but the hair care products marketed to black people smell awful. Seriously. Everything from the Walmart shelves to Carol’s Daughter smells like a combination if camphor, candy, and curl activator. Once when I tried some product, people kept leaving to sit at other seats on the train after sitting next to me. True story.

      Reply ↓

      • Try Organix brand products. They smell fantastic, sulfate-free, and leave my (locked) hair light and airy.

        Reply ↓

    • I still use Kinky Curly but still buy cheapy products. Buying expensive products really doesn’t make a difference IMO. My only requirement is that the products smell good. I hate funky products. The women I know who exclusively buy expensive organic products are newly naturals. I just don’t get the fuss over buying expensive organic product but eat like sh!t(which I find most of them do).

      Reply ↓

    • How about bougie people do not grease their scalp. Neither do people who understand hair, and what it needs to be healthy.

      Yes, Royale, that shit stinks and the ingredients in it are stuff that’s bad for our skin, breaking out our scalps and causing dandruff. There are some messed up ingredients in many hair care products marketed to black folks. And we wear it because we think it will make our hair grow faster and longer. Hair needs moisture, and hair needs to be clean in order for the scalp to be healthy to continue to grow hair.

      Reply ↓

  59. Please don’t shoot me over this list but…….(clears throat):
    -Honestly, Walmart attracts a certain crowd, Target sells ready to wear lines by designers we absolutely love i.e Zac Posen or Missoni for Target that we may not believe in spending runway prices to obtain.
    -Forever 21-good for accessories and throw aways, H&M- good for basics but ALWAYS too crowded, ZARA- Now your speaking our language.
    -We shop at grocery stores where the produce looks fresh, and if you live in DC you know Giant can’t compare to Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s cheese or chocolate selections. You anxiously await the day you can shop in Dean & Deluca for a self made dinner party(For those on the East Coast, it’s like Aldi’s vs. Wegmans)
    -We appreciate brunches but we DIE for all inclusive brunches with Mimosa or Belini specials.
    -We HATE BET, barely read Essence, Ebony or JET, but we secretly respect Debra Lee, Valarie Jarrett, Susan Taylor, Desiree Rodgers and Melissa Harris Perry as successful black women.
    -”Those are you’re cousins” , is a nice way of putting, “They are not OUR kind of people”.
    -Is he greek is irrelevant but if his parents are, well then (it was a different generation back then), now “Where did he go for undergrad?”, or “We go back all the way to Teen Conference and have been friends since!” (Kanye Shrug to those who know what Teen Conference was)
    -Instead of Blue Magic and pressing combs we use Moroccan Oil and Chi’s.
    -Their grandparents went to college…..and finished.
    -Forget Kanye’s workout plan, we do yoga.
    -Salads should be made with Romaine or Arugula, not Iceburg.
    -Our moms made our lunches with wheat or whole grain bread vs. Wonder.
    -Moscato’s mainstream, maybe a Riesling but definitely a Red.
    -OPI, ehhh, I’ve heard more Essie or if you prefer a 3 week manicure you get shellac.
    -Thai works, but Ethopian, Indian, Pho, and Korean BBQ all scream dishes we can’t pronounce. Plus,Pad Thai became to main stream, yet Chicken Tikka Masala……now thats that good good.
    -We jokingly refer to our mothers and fathers by their first name. i.e “Jer (short for Jerry) and Lin (short for Linda) are tripping canceling the family vacay.”
    -Even if she went to an HBCU, watch her facial expressions if you state you attended an HBCU that’s dealt with accreditation issues or isn’t in the top 3. (I.e- Morris Brown, or Clark).
    -She may be greek, but chances are she’s one out of two options (Crimson or Salmon Pink).
    - Any Apple Product > any PC
    -Sure we have guilty pleasures such as Monday nights w/ VH1 but Gossip Girl, and Rachel Zoe vocab are just as embarrassing. “I. Die., Bananas, S vs. B”
    -Forget House of Dereon (we swear by Beyonce as a singer, but NOT as a designer) Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, Long Champ and Anthropologie.
    -We refer to our best friend as Gayle (as in Gayle King)
    -Her apartment has a coffee table book that is either fashionable or socially conscious like Mandela or a RL look book.
    -If your going to read a gossip blog it will be The YBF, NOT World Star Hip Hop.
    -You went to a predominantly white High school, but that didnt stop your black childhood experience (Debutante, Cotillion, or the “black college tour”)
    -Side eye replaced by the smile and nod as we proceed to walk away.
    -We still don’t do water sports, but frozen water sports are second nature, skiing and boarding-BEYOND MLK wknd ski trips and black people wearing jeans on the slopes.
    -Art- of any kind….but not so much Graffiti (extra points if you know the “Funeral Procession” from the Cosby’s)
    -Being embarrassed to admit that they love Waka Flocka’s round of Applause or fantasized about being a video girl, but knowing their family AMEX would be yanked away as fast as some Yaki weave at their “All natural” salon
    -The black issue of Italian Vogue was EVERYTHING.
    -Having that one close white friend, not one who thinks their down with the brown, but one who you used to say things like “OMG I’m so tan, twinsies” sans “Sh*t White Girls Say to Black Girls”.
    -Finally their child hood idol wasn’t Harriet Winslow, it was Claire Huxtable and their daughters idol will be Michelle Obama.

    I rest my case, but I don’t particularly liked to be called bougie……….I still know all the lyrics to “To Live and Die in LA” and I’m morally oppose gentrification so cut me some slack here and don’t judge me.

    Reply ↓

    • Sorry for the grammatical error “I still know all the lyrics to “To Live and Die in LA” and I’m morally opposed to* gentrification so cut me some slack here and don’t judge me.

      Reply ↓

    • “Forever 21-good for accessories and throw aways, H&M- good for basics but ALWAYS too crowded, ZARA- Now your speaking our language.” –H&M is still my spot, espeically when I’m trying to get clothes for work.

      “Instead of Blue Magic and pressing combs we use Moroccan Oil and Chi’s.” –I’ve always hated Blue Magic. Even when I was wearing a relaxer. Moroccan Oil is that deal, though. Along with Coconut oil, olive oil, tea tree oil…

      “Salads should be made with Romaine or Arugula, not Iceburg.” –
      Of course! Iceberg lettuce is basically crispy water.

      “Our moms made our lunches with wheat or whole grain bread vs. Wonder.” — As a kid, we had whole grain bread, then it phased out and Wonder Bread came in. Now, I’m back on whole wheat. It’s healthier.

      “-Thai works, but Ethopian, Indian, Pho, and Korean BBQ all scream dishes we can’t pronounce. Plus,Pad Thai became to main stream, yet Chicken Tikka Masala……now thats that good good.”— I LOVE CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA!

      Reply ↓

    • I think I mighta just got any chance I had joining the bougie ranks snatched and might even have been reinstated as a welfare hoodrat. Thank you for clarifying that I do not belong. #relieved

      lmfao

      Reply ↓

    • Well damb to this whole list. I guess I aint there yet either. I don’t care how old I get, I’m not calling my parents by their first names.

      Reply ↓

    • “-Forever 21-good for accessories and throw aways, H&M- good for basics but ALWAYS too crowded, ZARA- Now your speaking our language.”

      I like H&M but I love Zara now that’s my store. I hate Forever 21 because the prices increase but the quality is still the same.

      “-OPI, ehhh, I’ve heard more Essie or if you prefer a 3 week manicure you get shellac.”

      I like OPI more but catch myself wearing more Essie because the colors are more subtle and work appropriate.

      “-Forget House of Dereon (we swear by Beyonce as a singer, but NOT as a designer) Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, Long Champ and Anthropologie.”

      Anthropologie is great, Hate Long Champ because it reminds me of college and I rather pay that amount of money on a leather bag than some nylon, love Tory Burch but not a fan of their flats(again too college girl wear).

      Reply ↓

    • It’s like, you just read my mind. This list is definitely on point, well most of it. I went to Clark Atlanta, and super proud of that. So no side eye here.

      Other than that, yes to this list! lol

      Reply ↓

    • I’m sorry, but this reads more like a description of the uppity SINGLE black educated woman, which is not necessarily the same as a bougie black woman.

      Some funny ones on there though.

      Reply ↓

    • AGREED! This list is THE Bougie Black Girl Bible. Yoga, Whole Foods, Zara, brunch, international travel (and I’ll admit it…the occasional ski trip)? Are you reading my journal? As a HBCU & Ivy-League grad, I’ve finally been exposed…I AM a card carrying bougie girl. There. I said it. Now off to order my Thai food…

      Reply ↓

  60. Bougie black girls like to brag. They would like for others to envy them and their lifestyles and say things like “I live in an all white neighborhood”.

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  61. They ask, “What are you going to serve?” It’s like they will only send in their RSVP if your menu meets their approval. Whenever I’m asked I just say, “Food!” (Okay, if it’s one of my stuck up older relatives just tell them that I don’t know yet.)

    Reply ↓

  62. “Does that make me bougie?”

    “I love authentic sushi! The deep fried cream cheese roll is my favorite!”

    At the fried catfish-serving juke joint club “Can you make me a Cosmo? No? What wine do you have?”

    “I’m working on my MBA.” What area are you interested in going into? pause…”I’m working on my MBA.”

    Reply ↓

  63. Champ,

    You forgot to mention Bougie chicks call out other chicks when they notice there accessories are not authentic. I can’t count the times I’ve seen one woman say to another that Coach / Louie / Channel bag ain’t real; look at the leather, stiching, etc.

    Reply ↓

    • And how can I forget bougie chicks let you know they bought their groceries from the co-op, local farmers market, Trader Joes, or Whole Foods

      Reply ↓

      • That’s a recent trend, which I believe stemmed from them copying the hipster crowd. It gets on my nerves, mostly because I actually like Trader Joe’s products and I don’t like being in the same boat as the bougie.

        Reply ↓

      • Sorry, but once you get your meats from Whole Foods, it’s hard to turn away. I intially started going there to pick up fruit to eat at work. Then when I went natural, I found out some of the popular natural hair care products were available there. And I also hit them up for my oils.

        Trader Joe’s also has one of my favorite shampoos and conditioners. That Tea Tree Tingle is THE SH*T!

        Reply ↓

  64. GREAT article.

    I’m especially pleased to have more ammunition for arguing that I’m NOT bougie! I appreciate you guys sooo much.

    Sure I attended a Black Ivy (“Haaaaampton”), love Whole Foods, had a cotillion, love to travel, can’t help but to hate Ebonic names & correct bizarre pronunciation of basic English words, love TarJAY …

    But I am too earthy to care about fashion, parents never wanted my brother & I in the local Jack & Jill chapter, could take or leave Thai, wouldn’t mind if my dude is just getting his first passport (as long as he’s thereafter happy about at least one international destination a year), don’t care about brunch, I’m not Greek, and I didnt previously know what “rachet” meant.

    YES!

    Reply ↓

    • I’m not crazy about Thai, either. SOME of the dishes are cool, but I prefer Japanese. Oh, and Indian food. My ex introduced me to Indian food years ago. I am HOOKED.

      Reply ↓

  66. “Can you think of any more sh!t that bougie black girls (or guys) say?”

    I damn sure can’t. I guess that’s just never been my crowd.

    Bougie is relative. I’ve had folks call me “bougie” for not wanting to eat at the local chicken shack or stay at a particular hotel. I think that term is somewhat outdated. What used to pass for “bougie” is now more “buppie.”

    Reply ↓

    • Oh yeah, my Lady and I have a phrase we live by. Whenever we’re in a situation where we might be perceived as too particular, spending too much money (not often) or anything not typical of black folks.. we say “Balance the Bougie.”

      Reply ↓

  68. I love Target. I love Brunch. And yes, I like to know who’s going to be somewhere. That usually gauges how fun the night is going to be…or not.

    As far as the passport, I don’t judge you if you don’t have one. Just as long as you can GET one. If I tell you early enough about a trip I want to make, and you want to go, then you have plenty of time to get one.

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  69. *pops gum and rolls neck*

    Ummmmm, let the reh-cord show that I like Thai food because it incorporates two of my favorite things about food: rice and spicy. I ain’t even know it was bougie… wait lemme take that back, it is the bougie version of Chinese carry-out once I think about it.

    Also, does it count if I say I’m ratchet AFTER someone else says it? I need to know these things o’ Champie one.

    Oh, and it’s Tar-jay. Soft pseudo-frenchy soft j. AND IT’S THE BEST PLACE IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE… and it’s also owned by Satan. Hence the redness.

    Reply ↓

  70. Bougie people give me both reasons to love and hate my life.
    First the love; they seem like horrible people half the time and I smile at the thought of them driving themselves into a frenetic fit because something they didn’t want touching them is now touching them.
    Then the hate; they always acting …extra. That gets real annoying b.

    Reply ↓

  71. “Can you think of any more sh!t that bougie black girls (or guys) say?”

    I’m into juicing now; it’s healthier.

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  73. First, I’d like to state for the record that my mom is a Delta. She’s also an emotionally abusive narcissistic female dog. Take for that what you will.

    But I’m so not bougie. I’m also so not ghetto. I will say this though: Korean BBQ is the shiznit. :) I don’t know where I ended up, but I’m just me.

    Now, I was tempted to liquidate the bougie after the hipsters pass, but after counting to 10, I’m thinking better of it.

    Reply ↓

    • you know…i own that book and read it my freshman year at Morehouse and was more or less amazed that those people existed. namely b/c i’m the furthest thing from that. i suppose i’m heading in that direction and my daughter is definitely going to have the potnetial to be one of those ninjas. but her daddy and mommy…SO not those kind of people.

      i’d never even head of jack n jill til i got to morehouse. i was like…why do these ninjas keep talking about that nursery rhyme?

      oh. lol.

      Reply ↓

      • “i’d never even head of jack n jill til i got to morehouse. i was like…why do these ninjas keep talking about that nursery rhyme?”

        LMAO.

        every man i’ve ever dated since college was in Jack & Jill in HS. i don’t know why i attract bougie negroes. lol

        Reply ↓

  75. I’m not sure why you had to bring Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated AND Target into this! That was just a low down move! And who are these broads who place Thai food over Ethiopian food?

    Maybe someone mentioned it up-thread but what about wine?

    Reply ↓

  76. I’m confused….

    bougie = aspiring to be a class higher than you are…

    I read the list and I think about myself and the gurls I know who might fit the descriptions… yet… they don’t _aspire_ to be in any class but the one they’re legitimately in….. sooooo technically…. it’s not that they’re bougie… it’s just that… they’re in a socioeconomic class other than what you expected them to be in?

    O_o

    *ponders*

    And that whole paragraph might just be another way to say…

    I’m not bougie.

    Reply ↓

      • LMAO you see what I did there. See I’m going to have to stop saying it, so people don’t get confused, and then be disappointed when that hood comes out to stay 2 seconds later.

        Reply ↓

  77. I guess I’m partially bougie according to this list. I loves me some Thai food, but that has always been the case. I didn’t jump on the Thai bandwagon when it suddenly became cool. I like brunch too, but again have always like brunch.

    I wouldn’t hold not having a passport against someone and realize that different parts of the country are slightly different from one another, but it’s still American culture. I don’t see how folks above have said that going to California would essentially be the same as traveling to another country. Now I agree that another Westernized country may be very similar to the good ol’ US of A, but it probably won’t be like going to China.

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  78. I keep telling people I am NOT Bougie and I can give you all the reason why over a nice bowl of Tom Yum Gai!

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  80. Being British, would I automatically be boogie because of my accent?
    Do you only need to have checked 1 on this list to qualify as bougie?
    *checks 4*
    Shoot.
    Black women have been called worse in 2011, I can handle this lable. *L’Oreal flicks out the comment thread*

    Reply ↓

  81. “I don’t wear cheap s***.”

    One of the big guns in the bougie woman’s arsenal. Used by chicks that may own one or two high-end designer clothing items and confuse that with rest of the average-priced s*** she wears.

    “My hair is long/longer than hers/looks better than hers.”

    Only bougie women think the world at large gives a flying 747 f*** about how great she thinks her hair is.

    “Grown and sexy.”

    I’ve yet to meet one woman that isn’t bougie use this expression. By extension, that means only bougie women say it. #fact

    “I can only ride in (insert luxury car brand) or eat at (insert very expensive restaurant). I deserve the best.”

    Usually stated by bougie chicks that actually own an Accord or Corollas and eat at Applebees three times a week. Yet in a grand affront to logic, they think they’re entitled to a bunch of expensive s*** they can’t afford on their own.

    Reply ↓

  83. Spot on. This is me hands down–especially the comment about Target.

    Do have to take issue with one thing, though: Robin Givens is absolutely, unequivocally, not the Bourgie Black Chick’s Patron Saint. Anybody who could give up on that good Smith education to marry Mike Tyson and take guest spots on ‘The Game’ lost her spot in the club a long time ago. If she does an August Wilson Broadway revival, though, we’ll probably let her back in.

    Give me Mrs. Obama. She wears J. Crew. Done and Done.

    Reply ↓

    • btw, givens went to sarah lawrence. somehow that wasn’t fact-checked in the “bougie by black handbook”.

      Reply ↓

      • Good to know–don’t know why I had her going to Smith in my head…but as schools for Bougie black girls go…they’re pretty similar, lol

        Reply ↓

        • Smith = a school bougie Black girls go to? Well, that puts me firmly in the bougie category. I thought I was good because I didn’t go greek, but I guess I can’t avoid it.

          Reply ↓

      • You will love it, Erika! Take lots of water and don’t be afraid of stopping a few times your first few visits as the heat can be overwhelming.

        Reply ↓

        • Uh oh…I just knew none of this bougie talk was me…til I saw the bikram yoga post… GUILTY, damn. I love love love bikram along w/ pilates that I’m about to do in five minutes.

          Reply ↓

  86. I almost thought I was bougie until you clarified the passport thing… LOL I will date a guy who does not have a passport ONLY if he is willing to get one… It is one of the first questions I ask though.

    It’s more about my love to experience new things than it is my love to travel… Don’t get me wrong I absolutely LOVE to travel and each year I make an attempt to go somewhere I’ve never been (domestically or internationally). I also make an effort to do things that I cannot do at home… I definitely need a guy who is willing to do that with me because I will DEFINITELY leave his butt home. I’m sure that will cause a lot of strife in a relationship.

    Reply ↓

  88. I’m NOT bougie.
    I am not a label at ALL. The preferences I have do NOT detract from my “blackness”, it does NOT mean I’m being “fake”, “not keeping it real”, “frontin” or “acting like i’m better” than ANYONE. It just means I read a book, the book induced some curiousity about the world around me, and I happened to go out and explore it. I have been all over the US, but I also would like to visit every continent. The US does not have volcanic rock beaches, I happened to want to know what black sand felt like between my toes. AND??? The fact that I want a mate who has done the same thing or at least has the same curiousity or wanderlust does NOT make me “stuck up”. Exploring cultural history happens to be a hobby I really like, you’re telling me I can’t pick someone with a similar hobby? If his hobby keeps him on the couch and mine keeps me out the country, than …????? The fact that I like fashion and pick quality pieces so I don’t have to keep buying and destroying $50 dollar bags doesn’t make me anything but FRUGAL. The fact that I don’t like anyone’s name but my own splashed across my ass just makes me an individual. I am extremely sensitive to smoke of any variety because I have respiratory issues, so I would like to know if some ignant sets will be at a party…wait, what am I saying- I’m bougie as hell, and bougie people only do DINNER PARTIES, not house parties! I take it all back..

    Reply ↓

  89. On the Thai thing…

    It makes it really hard when you mostly date bougie black girls. It’s hard because I’m not a huge fan of Thai food.

    This seems to have taken off only in the last 7 years, or so.

    If you know a black girl with a degree and a real job and say “Hey baby, where you want me to take you for dinner tonight?”, she’ll be like “LET’S GET THAI!!!”

    The first 4 or 5 times I had to force myself to get through the meal, but now I just flat out tell them I don’t like Thai food.

    Reply ↓

      • I don’t. Now that I think about it, I don’t know any black males off hand that like or prefer it. Doesn’t mean that they exist, but I don’t know them…

        …they probably also listen to Drake and wear skinny jeans.

        Reply ↓

        • …they probably also listen to Drake and wear skinny jeans
          lmao! u r 2 funny and I don’t know of any males that prefer this type of food either

          Reply ↓

          • My husband & I LOVE Thai food. And he is a card-carrying HBCU graduating black man, who doesn’t rock skinny jeans OR Drake.

            Not a whole lot different than Chinese food, only less greasy and sounds more current.

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  91. “Can I get an appletini”

    bougie chicks drink every kind of ‘martini’ except the actual original martini.

    Reply ↓

  93. something else just came to mind …

    if need be i’d rather live in a hole-in-the-wall in a nice urban neighborhood with museums, parks, busboys & poets (i.e. great cultural hubs with great food), whole foods, walkability, intelligent people i can relate to … rather than buy a mansion in the high-crime-rate aesthetically-nauseating hood.

    what does that make me?

    Reply ↓

    • A childless recent graduate, probably a liberal arts major, probably not heavily church-going, and under 35.

      I don’t think there’s necessarily a name for that yet, but it would be fun for us to make one up now!

      Reply ↓

  94. Add Howard, wine, Ikea, Crate & Barrel, West Elm, Pier One, Peruvian and Egyptian cotton, 600+ thread-count sheets, heritage designer bags, shellac mani/pedis, premium denim, mortgage before 30, book club, scholarly journals, MSNBC, ideeli, Joss & Main, The Vault, Amazon Prime memberships, W Hotels, apartments managed by Bozzuto…You get where I’m going.

    Reply ↓

  95. No, true bougie chicks say, “That’s my favorite INDIAN restaurant.” Well, at least I do. LOL. And I have dined at enough Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian restaurants to have favorites. I love southeast Asian cuisine, can you blame me?!

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  97. First off, those eyebrows deserve All the praise and glory.

    Second, nothing says bougie more that that saturday afternoon (yall know brunch don’t happen till 2-3 o’clock {cuz yall ratchet}) hunt for the unlimited drinks place.. I see you Brooklyn.

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  99. I consider myself cosmopolitan…

    Thai cuisine…is bougie? It’s just a grade above Chinese chicken wings and shrimp fried rice.

    On passports: I’ve never given anyone grief about not having one. Though it is important to me to have one-just in case. Who knows how things how my life might be today if my boyfriend at the time didn’t have a passport nor the desire to go to Senegal. We’re married now. ;-)

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  100. So…I guess if you enjoy farm to table restaurants, visiting vineyards & thrifting then that makes you super bougie?

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  101. As I get older I’m coming to believe that the really conspicous, sitcom-character, laughtrack-inducing bougieness we’re talking about here is kind of a sign of New Money/Recent Success. But then, the percentage of today’s successful young(er) black people who come from 3/4+ generations of upper middle class living is tiny compared to the percentage whose middle class situation only goes back as far as their parents.

    I feel like the few black folks I’ve known who come from 4 or more generations of not-living-anywhere-close-to-being-in-poverty actually tend to play alot of this stuff down, or even kind of slum it, a bit.

    Reply ↓

    • As someone mentioned to me above, I think the idea that you have to state all these things is what would actually put someone in “bougie” status. People who are used to having money don’t really talk about money and what they have or where they go. It is the “new money” folks (or the “pretending to be new money folks”) who feel the need to convince you they are on another level. I think modern “bougie” is really the “yuppie” culture moving more to the black community, occurring as brown skinned people get more money. Some of us don’t know how to act when we get a little change. Most of what we’ve mentioned here applies to yuppies in general.

      Reply ↓

  102. Can you think of any more shit that bougie black girls (or guys) say?

    “He’s street or he’s a thug”
    They usually say this about guys that aren’t in their dating circle (their dating circle is limited to men that someone they know dated. they recycle peen), guys that don’t wear tight shirts and sweaters, guys that don’t wear jeans and sport-coats or jeans with dress shoes , and guys that wear fitteds.

    “I drive a Benz or BMW”
    Most people say the model of car they drive and not the brand. E.g. I drive a Camry or Impala. If you drive a C-class Benz or 3-series BMW you drive a regular @ss car. Unless it’s an M3.

    “I don’t like it here”
    What they really mean is that the event or party isn’t full of pseudo-artistic, white-collar, college-educated negroes.

    “That’s nice”
    This is them being condescending. What they really mean is that it (whatever it is clothes, furniture, etc.) isn’t high class enough for them.

    Reply ↓

  106. Owning and reading books are important to me. It disturbs me to meet people who don’t read. However, if you own or enjoy Zane, E.Lynn Harris or whatever else is on the Chitlin circuit best selling list, you are dead to me.

    Reply ↓

    • Zane and Tyler Perry should be tarred a feathered at the stake for crimes against the Afro-American race!

      Reply ↓

    • You would be amazed at how many pseudo-bougie chicks I’ve met that claimed they read and when I asked what they said Zane and E. Lynn Harris.

      Reply ↓

    • Erika do you have a twitter?!?! OMG you just gave me strength to make it through the day! LMAO @ “dead to me.”

      Reply ↓

    • Thank you!

      It’s amazing how many black women I’ve met who’ll say to me “Oh, I read all the time. Zane is my favorite writer.” To which I say, I don’t read Zane. She is a terrible writer. TERRIBLE. E Lynn Harris is only slightly better. If you aspire to the Bouge, do better.

      Reply ↓

  107. sidity/bougie = single about 85% of the time. You better bring that ass back to the real world!

    Reply ↓

  108. *Hanging my head in shame* Besides not referring to myself as “ratchet,” I meet every single one of those, lol. Seriously, it’s sad. I love Thai and brunch (can we say bottomless mimosas?!), and I LIVE for Target.

    I must know who has the potential to be at any given event. And if a guy is “Greek,” I’m happier on a “he gets me” level, and I actually buy into the ‘Black Greek Superiority’ complex.

    And not only must you have a passport, but there should be stamps in it already!

    Sigh…hello lovely people of VSB. My name is Dae, and I am bougie…lol

    Reply ↓

  109. I’m going to take this opportunity to vent because I truly hate when somebody asks me “who’s going to be there?” Every time I get asked that question I have to swallow my strong desire to say “what the hell does it matter?” Unless you have beef with someone who might potentially be there, I don’t see why you’re asking. And if I know that you have potential beef, I wouldn’t invite the both of you in the first place. Why do people ask that question? Someone please answer.

    And what the heck is brunch?! I’ve been to a brunch at a friend’s house but didn’t understand how it was any different from breakfast or lunch.

    Reply ↓

    • It’s simple. People who are angered by this question act like the ‘crowd’ has no effect on the atmosphere. It does….and given that, it’s not unreasonable to ask who’s going to be there. I may simply not be in the mood to hang out with a given group of people (nothing to do with beef)

      Reply ↓

      • That would make sense if I didn’t hang out with the same crowd all the time, rendering the question useless LOL. But I can see how a person who is new in my life would ask that since s/he is not familiar with who I roll with (I am not cool).

        Reply ↓

        • Boom. Yep. At this point my people know exactly who to expect, and if there’s anyone suspect I’m sayin “head’s up so-in-so is comin too” and then I get an eye roll and teeth suck, but still it’s love. So I guess you can ask… and I’m not offended by the question at all… but really there’s no need.

          Reply ↓

      • I have and they’re like “it’s just a question, God!” and I’m like “why are you asking it? it’s not your party!” LOL

        My thing is that if it’s someone’s birthday, for example, and I’m being invited to that person’s party, I don’t really care who shows up because I’m going for that person specifically. Guess I’m an odd ball ><

        Reply ↓

    • I don’t like that question either because guess what- I’m going to be there. You’re going to be there. If that isn’t good enough then we suck. Why people always looking for someone else to bring the party?

      Reply ↓

      • LOL I never saw it that way! lol I guess it bothered me cuz I’m the one planning it and doing all the work, all you have to do is show up. That means you have nothing to worry about. Isn’t that so cool?

        Reply ↓

  111. I’m so Hooooooood!!! Well an educated goon (#RGS!!!!) but anyways… I can’t with this list or any of the comments. Everytime I read posts about bougie folks and read the comments, I am forever reminded of how I absolutely do not belong in that category. Neither me nor any of my real and close friends.
    But at the same time, some of the things listed are more personal taste and experience rather then a set of guidelines for pretentious thinking and acting.

    For instance, I could be called bougie because I know my wines and the meals that they accompany…but I worked at a liquor store and I’m a drinker so that shouldn’t count. Also, I go to target and I get excited about the prices…because I love a deal, who the hell doesn’t?! And lastly, brunch is and always should be a fav of everyone. It is BREAKFAST at lunch time…I wake up plenty of saturdays and sundays after 11 wanting breakfast (lets not even talk about breakfast for dinner!) and they say the best thing for a hangover is more liquor so why the hell not?!?

    I’m not advocating for the bougie guys and gals of the world, but I thought bougie was a superior mindset and some of the comments distort that.

    Reply ↓

    • See, I don’t think bougie is a superior mindset. I think that at first, it is a title given to you b/c you act differently from your group, as if you are too good to do the things that your group finds normal which makes you abnormal. Stuck up or arrogant, however, is when you take that label and get all holier than thou.

      Reply ↓

  112. I loved reading this piece. Very cute and interesting to see all of the different points of views here. Always looking forward to reading VSB daily. Stay blessed everyone!!!

    Reply ↓

  113. Been fighting bougie since the day I was born. I thai, pilates, and brunch with the best of them. Champagne runs in my blood, so much I themed my wedding after it. Kir Royale b*tches! Oh, and if he doesn’t have a passport….sigh. (I’m mean, I’m just saying!) Oh & I make Target (prounced tar-jay) look like Bendel’s or Bergdorf. #SpelmaniteProblems #MommaTaughtMe #DirtyRed POW BOOM BAM!

    Reply ↓

  114. Shit bougie girls say:

    “What’s the address here? I need to give it to my driver.”

    “we have to go to that spot on Wed. nights NOT friday-too many hood negros”

    “No can do. I’ll be in the vineyard this weekend.”

    “where did you matriculate?”

    “He went to an HBCU?- Ugh. that’s like going to 13th grade. They take ‘GYM’! I didn’t pay $40k a year to take GYM sorry”

    “If my colorist and Warren Tricomi ever breakup- My colorist will get ME in the divorce”

    “He went to Holy Cross University? Is that still Top 50?”

    “Political Science. Ugh. I have too many skeletons to date him. He might become a senator.”

    “He bought me a diamond necklace…wait on it…with no paperwork! UGH! like who does that? I can’t get this insured. I dont know the four Cs! It’s devastating!”

    “He offered to fly me to LA to hang out with him but didn’t offer to get me my own room. Who does that?! No thank you buddy.”

    “What perfume am I wearing? Ancient Chinese Sercret! ” Who ASKS that?!

    “He bought me MOTHER of pearl earrings. That’s glorified costume jewelry. Was i supposed to get excited?”

    ” I don’t really date guys who don’t have fathers. I mean, how would he know to be a good dad if he never had one? is that wrong?”

    “He has kids??! oh girl… RUN!!!”

    “I”m not old enough to be anyone’s step mother. Like seriously.”

    “He owns his apt? In NYC? Oooooooooooooh- fine i’ll meet him”

    “Wait your name is Congo? did your mother name you Congo?”

    “You’re a Rapper? like Jayz rapper? They still make those? you’re like 35. Where’s candid camera?”

    “I don’t take the train after 8pm.”

    “i’ve never taken the bus. ever.”

    “Yes, I’m 30 and still daddy’s princess.”

    I could go on for days!!! hahahahahaha

    Reply ↓

    • i. just. died. LOL

      “Political Science. Ugh. I have too many skeletons to date him. He might become a senator.”

      ^^^^ bwaahahahaa. that’s funny for reasons i won’t disclose.

      Reply ↓

      • Political Science. Ugh. I have too many skeletons to date him. He might become a senator.”

        ^^^^ bwaahahahaa. that’s funny for reasons i won’t disclose.

        lol i have actually had this convo. I wont even befriend anyone with access to police or FBI records LMAO

        Reply ↓

    • “He went to an HBCU?- Ugh. that’s like going to 13th grade. They take ‘GYM’! I didn’t pay $40k a year to take GYM sorry”

      LMBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  115. I love to travel and in order to do so, passports are important. However, I will give a guy time to acquire one. I love Thai food. I do have a favorite Thai restaurant (Reka’s in White Plains, NY). I always ask who will be at a certain party just to have an idea of what I’m walking into. When it comes down to it, I think am really cool and can hang with any crowd. I am not at all bougie.

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  116. Can’t even be mad at any of this. Passport? False litmus test, but truth be told we all have some false litmus test that we like to apply to others to artifically gauge their social worth (i.e. you’ve never seen “Love Jones” ninja what’s wrong with you?)

    As usual, most contention comes in when we expect that everyone else should want to view the world the way we view it (and like the things we like). There are plenty of experiences and cultures to be had here in America and abroad. Pick which venues are right for you and which experiences are right for you, and hang what anyone else says.

    You don’t have a passport? No shade from me. You’ve been to Louvre? More power to you. Get it how you want it.

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  117. Shyt bougie chicks say:

    “those shoes’ are last season” WTF? i mean do they immediately stop being wearable? im just saying

    “……is the new black”.
    “no, i dont eat soul food”..
    “im a pescatarian”
    “im a republican”
    “im like the white chick of my click”.
    “I have eclectic taste” (meaning, i dont like regular black people things)
    at the bar in the middle of a hood a.s.s club that has 2.00 jello shots as the happy hour special while round of applause plays, clutching purse to her side.. “uhh do you have a wine list?
    “you’re ordering moscato with your dinner? Thats a dessert wine”
    “its you’re not your”

    Reply ↓

    • “I have eclectic taste” (meaning, i dont like regular black people things)

      This is a funny point because bougie folks say this with the intention to separate themselves from other reglah folks. but what brings us together is that hood folks do that ish too… “…. man, I got that new-new! I got them (air-force) ones with the Family Guy design on it! Ain’t no one gone have these joints!”

      Basically, airbody wanna be different. Which makes them the same. Deep.

      Reply ↓

    • “its you’re not your”

      But this is important! I CANNOT deal with a person who consistently uses “you’re” and “your” wrong. Or heaven forbid “ur”. Learn the English language, for God’s sake.

      Reply ↓

  118. Lies! Men, you know good and well (bougie black girl voice) that YOU invited the Thai craze. You discovered years ago that it’s a good cheap date that also made you sounds as if you’re a little cultured.

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  120. ok so lemme get this right…stuff white folks been doing for years on top of years and is VERY commonplace for them is now “boughie” for black folk?

    Reply ↓

    • Yep. I mentioned above that bougie in the black community just means you come off as if you are better than the other people in your racial group, whether it is true or just perceived. In other words, you tend to do things that white people have been doing for a minute: traveling outside of the country, eating food that is from another country, eating brunch, blah, blah, blah.

      Reply ↓

      • no its bougie when you decide because you do stuff that “white folks” been doing for years it makes you something other than a regular black chick, I mean its fine to
        We are all multifaceted and have different tastes etc.Even the “hoodest” of folk have a or 2 things they like that are atypical… I especially hate when you are now “on something new” and now you cant do nothing but that. I mean seriously If you like something you like it who gets props for it? bougie people thats who LOL

        Reply ↓

        • Agreed and this i would actually call arrogance and being a stuck up chick. I guess what I am saying is that the moment you aren’t apart of the norm, you are immediately tagged as bougie b/c that is what you are perceived to be.

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  122. I don’t know if this is bougie or not but I once had a sista tell me that she wouldn’t sleep on sheets unless they were at least a ’600 thread count”?? I was like, what???? I didn’t even know that sheets had thread counts- bed sheets are bed sheets to me:).

    Peace!!!!!!

    Reply ↓

    • LOL @ thread counts. I didn’t learn about them until I got to high school (many moons ago). Heard (of all people) Arsenio Hall talking about them on his show… back when he had one… (many moons ago).

      Reply ↓

  123. As a promoter in Los Angeles, the question “Wait, who’s going to be there?” is one I can truly relate! Still, the BBG’s I know are polite, always the life of the party, beautiful, and I love ‘em… although I didn’t marry one (hint).

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  124. As a promoter in Los Angeles, the question “Wait, who’s going to be there?” is one I can truly relate to! Still, the BBG’s I know are polite, always the life of the party, beautiful, and I love ‘em… although I didn’t marry one (hint).

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  125. I’m so NOT bourgie but I do have an acquired taste for some of life’s finer things …YES I do shop at Target, Walmart in addition to some other fine retailers I’d rather not mention…Yes I correct folks when they pronounce foreign words/designers/places incorrectly (that’s only cuz I speak French fluently)…and NO my favorite cuisine is not Thai but its actually Malaysian…Boooya! :)

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  128. These comments are beginning to read like folks who are “cultured” calling it boughie. black folks have been cultured for eons. from a military family?, more than likely you are cultured. Have a artistic background? more than likely you are cultured. college graduate that has alot of international students? more than likely you may become cultured. alot of this stuff is merely the product of what it is that you do/are into. If im a black artist and can spew off great artists over the centuries and have appreciation for their work why does that make me something other than “a black artist who knows the history of his craft”?

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  129. Something to add to the list: The Side Eye. A bougie black girl’s side eye game is impeccable. It makes doves cry. It’s saying everything w/out actually saying it. It’s like standing before God on Judgment Day, but more harsh.

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  130. Wigggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, YEAH. Wigggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, YEAH….I’m bougie and I know it! Rachet…..um.NO…. you can’t be bougie and be familiar with the word Rachet… is strictly against the rules (Ebony Bougie Handbook Pg.36 para.2) …Passport, yea….. I got one, so he should have one…it’s strictly a determination if you are equally yolked #TDJakes. I can’t rattle on about my trips abroad and have you looking at me like dora the explorer. What’s wrong with Thai…everyone should try to have an elevated palate that goes beyond Popeye’s Chicken , eff it, Pineapple Fried Rice Is frickin’ delicious, I owe no one an apology. The Greek Thing…..meeeehhh…. idk about that one…. it’s more of a net worth on the plus side situation that is favored…. Assets – Liabilities= Net Worth….whether you have matriculated is taken into consideration your Net Worth, I have good credit, and I will cant allow a man to put my platinum amex card in jeopardy, I will not allow it…….. Gushing over a Target purchase? Shoooo a true bougie sistah IS a bargain shopper that realizes retailers like Target and Marshals are a great way to save money, and still look fab, and the savings goes toward our trips abroad….”Bougie” black girls, if thats the label you want to put on a black women with standards, and not afraid to voice said standards, that’s all and dandy…. I’ll be that…. but Bougie becomes a problem when its coupled with arrogance….I don’t through nothing I have in no ones face, I don’t belittle people…….they start the comparison game, not me….. that I don’t get down with….but I will not apologize, or derate by successes to make someone else feel better. So I leave you with this…..wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, YEAH! I’M BOUGIE AND I KNOW IT! ( disclaimer: the views expressed are strictly the views of Ronique Nicole and if you don’t like it, send a postmarked letter to 14251, IDontCare Ln., BougieRepublic, 23415). Happy Thursday!

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  131. LOL, I thought the patron saint of bougie girls would have been Whitley Gilbert!

    But I had to cackle at this post since I’m guilty of more than a few quotes listed, LoL!

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  132. This is straight CO—MEDY!!!! I’m proud to have been “Bougie-Free” my entire life…in both my attitude & relationships. I’d never show up on a Bougie chick’s radar, but then again, why would I care???? She’d lose me with the boring sex thing ANYWAY!

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  133. Listen, the main reason I NEED you to own a passport is because no matter how many places you’ve been to in the US, I need you to understand that there is a world outside your door, and that world may NOT like you as an American. And I need you to NOT be offended. Most often ppl w/o passports have the tendency to utter generalizations like:

    “America is the greatest country in the WORLD!!!!!!” (note the exclamations)
    “I’m proud to be an American because we’re FREE” (like no other country is)
    or my favorite;
    “If you don’t like it, why don’t you LEAVE”?

    I have a lot of friends that are not American -born. If you utter any of the above phrases when the convo turns into something “against america” (like how stupid we are to fight against single-payer heathcare plan) I will act like I just met you today. The US is barely middle-of-the-road when it comes to education, innovation, technology, life expectancy, healthcare, teen pregnancy rates and overal quality of life. You start talking that “best country in the world” mess in Paris and watch me slink away.

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  134. Thanks for the laughs today! I definitely see some of my tendencies described in the post and throughout the comment thread. It is what is lol.
    I think bougie is an affinity to exotic things or things that have an air of exclusivity to them. Anything that becomes too common is quickly dismissed. I think bougie people, in general, like to stay ahead of trends. They get on first, ride it out, and once it becomes to crowded…they’re ON TO THE NEXT!

    Por ejemplo (a random one)…Flower Bomb, the fragrance that is, used to be a somewhat exclusive scent. People would say they never heard of it and ask where they could purchase it. Now, thanks to Wale, et al. that is over. *In search of a new exclusive signature scent*

    Reply ↓

    • This is by far theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee best comment I’ve seen thus far. Kudos bish! KUDOS! And this fake red bottom movement must die now. #IJS

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  135. very funny
    “Bourgeois” not “boogie” is a fronting class. lol.
    I love thai, and sushi. and Real Sushi (not california rolls) is more of the “high class” status then thai. Nothing is wrong with an acquired taste- as long as you’re doing things because you love them,and not because you’re trying to fit it with a social class that you’re paychecks are not accustom to.

    - far from bourgeois!!

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  136. How do you bougie women feel about public transportation? Is it accpetable, or do you cringe at thought of being confined with commoners, homeless individuals, and/or thuggis miscreants who demand your undivided attention? The world is dying to know!

    Reply ↓

    • Public transportation IS acceptable, as most bougie girls are progressive, if you live in a Metropolitan area, going green includes using public transport, recycling and using klean kanteen’s vs. bottles of water.

      But if you visit her family’s home, don’t be surprised if you find her parents driving foreign vehicles. And she thinks the Prius is practical but the shape isn’t her ideal.

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  137. Um isn’t is the word “bourgee” (with a r and double e)? You’re talking about the colloquial term for bourgeois, right?

    Reply ↓

    • Co-sign
      I love this collective laughter at ourselves and most of all the “What bougie black woman say. (ooh, I can’t wait for video) I like this b/c as the male/ female relationship goes, it begins and ends with the woman. Now, I consider myself to be a hoodrat (modern-day ratchet chick… trust me, bamma) Though I worked my way up to the suburbs w\ just a GED, I luv Whole Foods, organic; NGM foods, yoga, recycling and Erykah Badu, as well as Corinne Bailey Rae, Sushi, Tai food, yoga, lattes,Target, Michael Kors shoes, and upscale lounges with ambiance, but make no mistake I’m a straight ratchet, bamma. I make no apologies. I’ve been fortunate. Though, I haven’t been directly affected by this recession but, It’s made me not only aware, but appreciative and made me ask myself, “what can I do to help”?, not only our community, but our world. Being a “hoodrat” and working my way up to a decent life also taught me to appreciate people and life. Sure, I love sexy shoes and exploring the world and feeling like I’m the sexiest on the planet, but clearly there is more to life than that. How about the state of America and the planet? But, for real ya’ll Bougetto is played out, right about now. How about we get politically aware? How about we stop fronting and start payng down debt, and educating one another? How about, we redirect the billons our community spends to fronting (did I say house negro ball’n) and do like the Jewish community does? Just saying……

      Reply ↓

  141. Convicted, convicted, convicted! LMAO @ “mysterious early Saturday morning meetings.” LOLOLOLOLOL… I can tell you love us by that statement alone. First time reading this blog, definitely enjoyed the caustic humor.

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  142. I don’t think I’m bougie. Mostly because I believe that Bougie has been re-invented (as so many other words have been) to mean being a Black person of the upper-middle class (or higher) for at least 3 generations or thereabouts.

    I’ll admit to being an aspiring Bougenista (shootout to OneChele at BlacknBougie). I’ll admit to uttering a LOT of the phrases mentioned by Champ above. I love SouthEast Asian cuisine (and Thai is the easiest to come across right now). I enjoy brunch, but, honestly, who doesn’t? I’m attempting to learn wines (through trail and error = much drinking = much fun).

    But, not yet to the level of Bougie.

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  143. I was planning a brunch Birthday celebration. wow. I also went to Hampton and love Thai food. What does this mean?

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  144. I’m sorry … but unless you live in New York or Chicago … PT shouldn’t be your ONLY mode of transportation! It was cute when we were in high school, but we’re grown now. Step up ya game!

    #Proud2bebougie

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  147. I’ve been called “bougie” before (did you know this means “candle” in French?) One of the times it happened, is when I tried to explain the word’s root in “bourgeoisie” in French and how it doesn’t have a positive connotation in France… le sigh.

    Funny post though.

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  148. lol I never would describe myself as bougie but this post was a rude awakening. lol *smh*

    ^ And I guess this can now be added to stuff we probably say. lol

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  149. I’m late to the party but having skimmed the comments – wow I didn’t know the ‘no passport’ thing was really a thing. Goes to renew my very expired passport before I get passed over.

    I would be more concerned w/ someone who had no interest in traveling. My friend was talking to a dude and he didn’t want to leave his state, let alone this country. She asked him, “you’ve never read a book, saw a picture, and wondered what it was like there?” Nope. Now, that’s wackness. I personally want to travel across the United States a la Oprah and Gayle. I ask potential suitors if they would do it – those who say no get an oh. And I make a mental note. Who cares if you haven’t been out of the country. Once we meet, do you have the means, the will and the want to go?!? Then vamanos!

    And apparently because of these comments and my understanding nature, my homegirl has labeled me only demibougie. Lol.

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  150. I must admit; I do generally try to avoid people without passports.

    The writer missed the point completely. Yes a man can always go and get one, but the fact that he hasn’t thus far made an effort to is a bad sign.
    What kind of man has a high end car, possible child support payments and yet no passport. Just different values and priorities
    NEVER!!!!!!!!

    Also, I would never correct a date’s English; I would just leave.

    A man’s wealth is immaterial if he poorly educated!!!

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  151. IMO, Bougie=wannabees- People who don’t have much/very little but want to appear as if they do.

    And *sigh* to all the people claiming to be bougie in some of these posts, but don’t know the difference between your and you’re.

    Glad, I’m not “Bougie.”

    Reply ↓

    • @Miss A – your and you’re is the grand difference between bougie and bourgeois. Anybody who is bougie will proudly proclaim “i can get ghetto though” I dont think bourgeois people say that.

      Reply ↓

  153. I’ve been branded bourgeois for so long it doesn’t even ruffle me because I am what I am. Sometimes I have to laugh at myself though. Here’s why:
    – I traveled to Europe and saw how people work to conserve gas so I felt I needed to do my part and immediately downsized from a 5 series BMW to a 3. Inceidentally I’ve only driven black BMW sedans since college graduation some 16 years ago.
    - My friends and I love having brunch on the weekends.
    - Thai food at little out of the way spots is a must.
    - When people ask me where a I picked up that gorgeous scarf or my favorite black boots, I take pleasure in saying “Oh, I got them up in Rome.”
    - It takes all the willpower I have not to correct people when they mispronounce words. Sometimes I just have to walk away rather than offend.
    - I have a special affinity for all things British especially wellies and riding boots.
    - Riding lessons are my favorite form of exercise.
    - I’ve switched to Trader Joes now that the masses have discoverd Whole Foods (their mango chunks are to die for).
    - My favorite on-line site is Gilt but keep that to yourself.
    - Yes, I’d prefer to know who will be in attendance at an event or gathering because it dicates what I’ll wear and how long I’ll stay.
    - I selected the location of my first home based on where the “old money” lived versus where the “new money” was moving to.
    - I believe there is no such thing as a “candid” photo and will quickly ask friends to “unpost” it from my FB page if I feel the photo is not me at my best.
    - When a man I dated used the word “conversate”, I knew it would not end well.

    I could go on but suffice it to say that I’d rather be on this end of the spectrum than the other. I have to run, my new Russian boyfriend is calling.

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  154. Thank you .. all of you both Very Smart Brother and those who left comments.I had some great laughs. If I could, I would have a huge cocktail party and invite all of you. It would be the best night EVER!!!

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  155. I can’t believe how many people on here seem to think that being stuck up is something to aspire to or relish. Or that going to Hampton or Spelman (or whatever other black school is known for its bourgeois culture) makes you somehow superior to someone else who was not afforded the same opportunities (or who, in some cases, pissed away those opportunities). Your grammatical fluency, educational background and ancestry do not make you special. Get over yourself. And before you accuse me of jealousy or “hating”, I have two degrees (the first is from Hampton), finished grad school with a 3.98, and everyone in my family has been well educated and well-traveled for generations (at least 4 of them). So freaking what?! NO ONE CARES. Good people come from all walks of life and I am no better than any of them. Neither are you.

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  156. Definition of BOURGEOIS
    1: of, relating to, or characteristic of the social middle class
    2: marked by a concern for material interests and respectability and a tendency toward mediocrity
    3: dominated by commercial and industrial interests : capitalistic
    if this is the “Bougie” everyone is referencing, it is the opposite of what i’m attracted, especially the 3rd definition “dominated by commercial and industrial interests : capitalistic.” But you do bougies do make for an interesting discussion. *Waits for someone to provide their own alternative definition*

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  157. Bourgie I am not, HOWEVER, I will cop to siddity ALL DAY LONG. I have a better vocabulary than at least 80% of the people I know. I only correct my closest closest of friends and those who make a point of asking me to correct them (they wanna come up, can’t blame ‘em). Also getting better at text n social media writing….although I may speak it colloquially, it PAINS me to write improper grammar LOL

    Now, I have a very close friend who thinks she’s the most down-for-whatever chick going….she’s a Delta, loves Thai, and the first words out her mouth are either, “Who’s going to be there?” or “OH-NO!” (that’s the general bourgie girl exclamation of disapproval). I will be forwarding this to her right away ;-) She doesn’t like VSB…now I see why LOL

    Reply ↓

  158. hood chicks mispell shit, I get it. Michael Jackson he he…. whatever

    Seriously, I love this collective laughter at ourselves and most of all the “What bougie black woman say. (ooh, I can’t wait for video) I like this b/c as the male/ female relationship goes, it begins and ends with the woman. Now, I consider myself to be a hoodrat (modern-day ratchet chick… trust me, bamma) Though I worked my way up to the suburbs w\ just a GED, I luv Whole Foods, organic; NGM foods, yoga, recycling and Erykah Badu, as well as Corinne Bailey Rae, Sushi, Tai food, yoga, lattes,Target, Michael Kors shoes, and upscale lounges with ambiance, but make no mistake I’m a straight ratchet, bamma. I make no apologies. I’ve been fortunate. Though, I haven’t been directly affected by this recession but, It’s made me not only aware, but appreciative and made me ask myself, “what can I do to help”?, not only our community, but our world. Being a “hoodrat” and working my way up to a decent life also taught me to appreciate people and life. Sure, I love sexy shoes and exploring the world and feeling like I’m the sexiest on the planet, but clearly there is more to life than that. How about the state of America and the planet? But, for real ya’ll Bougetto is played out, right about now. How about we get politically aware? How about we stop fronting and start payng down debt, and educating one another? How about, we redirect the billons our community spends to fronting (did I say house negro ball’n) and do like the Jewish community does? Just saying……

    Reply ↓

  159. In the age of bougie black women and their superfluous self-perception accolades, I have become tired.
    *raising glass* Here’s to the down-to-earth black women, with no chips and strong shoulders.
    Be blessed…

    Reply ↓

    • Trust me most will never get married, you see more ‘hood chicks’ married than “educated” black “women.”

      These proud ‘bougie’ ratchet black women are the reason I am thankful for being a decent man, with a job, degrees, and a home, and am no longer forced to downgrade and date them…or worse marry one of them.

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  163. Pingback: Shit Bougie Black Girls Say via VSB | I Don't Do Clubs

  164. I’m a bougie black girl and the “Wait! Who’s going to be there?” part is ON POINT! I do that all the time! Lol

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  165. lolol u cant “OWN” a passport. That ish is property of the US Gov’t and can be revoked at anytime. But I dont wanna sound bougie by sayn that :-D (does that make me bougie to say Im NOT bougie lmao) If a guy I met didnt have passport, it only takes 2 days & $200 to get one.

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  166. At the end of the day, this all boils down to one thing: insecurity.

    Boujie people feel the need to surround themselves with objects, vernacular, and accomplishments that validate their existence and perceived importance in society. At the end of the day, it is all to compensate for their lack of self-esteem and/or identity…

    Travel/Passport – i would argue the majority of bougie people like to travel so that they can SAY they have been to various places around the world. Most people who have traveled significantly understand that you will never be able to fully empathize with different cultures unless you spend a substantial amount of time at that location, not a week or a few days (thats just vacation). They love statememts like “I traveled through Europe then flew down to Hong Kong, and Shanghai, then…”. Nothing wrong with Travelling places, but let’s be real about the actual benefits of travelling.

    Greek – I wil leave this one alone, as there are way too many psychological issues that stem from and are correlated with Greek life as a whole… so another day…

    Shopping/Brands/Stores/Cars – I think we all know that this is all based on exclusivity and showing that you can afford things that others can’t (and you probably can’t either). That boils back down to having the need to differentiate. If you notice, REAL rich people wear Levi’s, T-shirts, and new balance shoes (for example). For cars, there are tangible benefits of having a Mercedes (safety) or BMW (handling), but bougie people are the ones who REACHING so that they can give the appearance of wealth… why… insecurity

    List can go on, but at the end of the day, nothing is more attractive than a self-confident black woman who is in touch with her background, yet understands the value (and role) of the finer things in life, while staying true to herself and where she comes from… approachable, sociable, non-judgemental, I think you catch my drift.

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  167. Awww…I’m guilty of every one of those things (Well, I prefer Indian over Thai); but I’m one of the most down-to-earth- people ever. Really! :) Also, already having a passport means that the trip you take with me probably isn’t your first one out of the country. Now, I shall go read a book because I think I’m saying too much…lol

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  169. OMG the Thai food place is sooooooo me lmfaoooo and i call myself a hoodrat all the time ahahahahahahahah classic. but im def not bougie.

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  170. hmmmm….I feel like the only black woman in the tri-state area who didn’t know about vsb….in any case, I find it interesting that it seems that your blog attracts many, (MANY) of the very women you despise…how did that happen?!

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  171. I am 3rd generation bougie and I am not ashamed of my background. If people from the ‘hood can keep it real…then so can I. However, I do take umbrage with the way in which “bougieness” is being used as a measuring stick of superiority in the Black community. It is yet another way in which we segregate ourselves… from ourselves.

    It is really no better than the brown paper bag test. What I have gleaned from the comments thus far is that if you haven’t traveled outside the United States, you struggle with the basic mechanics of French pronunciation, you proudly eat fried chicken in public… then you are not really bougie? Hmm. In my observation, true breeding and class has to do with conveying a gracious demeanor towards people no matter their race, religion, socio-economic background, etc.

    My parents made sure that we were exposed to people from all different backgrounds. Some of my fondest memories as a child were spent having lunch in someone’s double-wide or playing double dutch with church friends whom resided in the ‘hood. As a result of these cultural exchanges, I feel comfortable with just about anyone…with the exception of pretentious stuck-up people whom are trying too hard to hold dominion over others.

    I understand that everyone has their preferences when it comes to with whom they want to associate with. But, please do not equate said stringent preferences with breeding and class.

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    • I agree with this. From what I have concluded so far from the comments is that “you are not really bougie if…”
      I feel like people are trying to out-”bougie” each other lol

      Interesting comments though! Glad VSB posted this topic. I can’t relate to all, but had a good laugh!

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  172. I know I’m late to the party but Thai food is bougie? Really? Maybe it’s because I’m a New Yorker, but Thai food is soo basic (albeit delicious. It’s still my favorite food), evverryyyonnnee eats it! You should see how quickly Spice fills up! There is an oversaturation of Thai food in NYC.

    I suppose I’ve taken it to a whole new level of bougie in this comment.

    real bougie black people go to beer gardens.

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  173. I mean seriously, if you want to call yourself a bougie black girl and you JUST now found out about Thai, your bougie card is revoked. Yes I have clearance to dole out/ confiscate bougie cards.

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  175. Dumbest list ever. When I first met my husband he asked if I had a passport.
    It is not about readiness and willingness to travel but having experiences that inform your world view. Seeing someone elses everyday and living in a life completely foreign to your own builds your character, and making you a person able to speak to others.

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  176. I’m so not the B word, if you ask me. … however, I have to comment re the passport thing. It’s all about the man having one — and having had used one BEFORE I came into his life. It simply speaks volumes…. Just sayin.
    BTW I’m pretty sure bougie girls don’t say “just sayin” – see, told ya I’m not bougie.

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  177. “I take bougieness to a whole new level!”
    “I’m not bougie, but I HATE it when people mispronounce designers”
    “I’m so happy you say that too, because I say it all the time!”

    All the “bougie girls” have come together in this comment section to talk about their ‘bougieness’, denial of ‘bougieness’, or ‘overly bougieness’

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  178. Pingback: Watch: ‘Sh-t Bougie Girls Say,’ Can You Relate? | Clutch Magazine

  179. I found this article very funny and it served it’s intended purpose. However, I found the comments that followed to be very sad, disappointing and shallow. There is nothing wrong with being a sister seeking culture and fresh, new experiences, but it is another thing to live a pretentious life in which you chose to group yourself with other closed-minded women, in an effort to elevate yourself higher above the black middle class. This is what sociologist deem “camouflaging”. Not eating watermelon in public, when you really do like it?? Eliminating a brother because he does not yet have a passport, even if he is otherwise a great man and hasn’t before had the time to travel abroad? Living two paychecks away from being in your parent’s basement just so you can be a “world-traveler”?? All in all, it sounds a bit un-original to me. If this is what it means to be a “bougie, black-girl” then I’ll pass..I take being a grown a** woman instead.
    And yet still, many women with this line of thinking see it as an ABSOLUTE MYSTERY as to why there are still single as HECK!! Hmmm.. and I thought he wasn’t feeling you because he doesn’t like to eat Thai every week. Wake up!

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  180. All the women posting proudly about being “bougie” come off so basic and generic. It’s a little sad. Being a “bougie” black girl impresses no one except extra-hard manly hoodrat girls. You’ll still be ‘ghetto’ to the white girl from Cohasset.

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  181. As the great Gil Scott-Heron recently sang, “I’m new here, can you show me around?”

    I don’t think I’ve met any bougie sistas yet. It occurs to me that this is an untapped demographic ripe for mockery and/or carnal exploration.

    Hillary from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air was bougie, right?

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  182. I love me some bougie girls, but there are definitely levels of bougie that go beyond Thai food and Target. Let’s just qualify the following attributes as “beyond bougie.”

    -Your grandparents summer (that’s right summer) on the Vineyard (Bonus if you’ve played in the Tucker Invitational).
    -You are (or could’ve been) a 3rd generation Delta or AKA (Kappa, Alpha or Que).
    -If you went to an HBCU, your parents and grandparents went or taught there or there is a building named after someone in your family.
    -You did a family trip to Africa, but skipped the Gold Coast slave tour in favor of Tanzania (safari or Kilimanjaro), Marrakech, Lamu Island or Cape Town/Jo’burg.
    -You maxed out to Obama in 2008 and will do so again in 2012 (despite healthcare reform and higher income and estate taxes).
    -You’ve been to the Tuxedo Ball.
    -Your parents were in Jack and Jill (+2 if your grandmother was president).
    -Your deepest darkest secret is that you were on the sailing team in high school.
    -One of your uncles was a Republican delegate back in the day (but openly reps Obama).
    -The Jordans are on your Christmas card list. (Vernon and Ann that is)
    -You quietly celebrate the Williams Sisters’ success, but also secretly wince at their garishness, (and that gangsta booty).
    -Flying private has ruined your life.
    -You beat white people at “white people sports.” (+1 for Golf, Tennis or Lacrosse; +2 for Squash, Sailing, Crew, Hockey or Equestrian).
    -You went to prep school (+2 for boarding school; +3 if single-sex boarding school).
    -You volunteer in the inner city.
    -You went to summer camp in the mountains.
    -Your parents’ wedding was in the local paper and in Jet (+2 for the NY Times).
    -You studied/lived abroad somewhere where they didn’t speak English.
    -You have your eyes on a board seat at the Studio Museum or Alvin Ailey.
    -Your mother and grandmother are in the Links (+ 2 for Girl Friends).
    -You know that the Guardsmen throw the best parties.
    -You work in finance, consulting, law, medicine, or academia (and not an online school). Ladies can add the arts, fashion, PR/events and publishing.
    -You own a pair of skis.
    -You know that Swann Galleries is the best source for Beardens, Catletts, Tanners et al (+2 if you’ve bought an original).
    -You don’t understand what the big deal is about Thai food either.

    I could go on, but I’ll spare you. Also Robin Givens may have proved herself to be trifling, but Jacqueline Broyer had it going on. She has a seat up there in the pantheon along with Whitley and Valerie Jarrett.

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  183. I know I’m late but seeing these comments irritated me. It really does seem like most of these women are trying to “out-bougie” each other or be in total agreement about their shallow ways so they can go about their bougie lives with their nose up in the air without a care because some other women gave them a taste of their own bougie personalities.
    Target is just ONE step up from Wal-Mart anyway, BUT I will shop at both with zero embarrassment.Who cares about whose “designer” shoes you won’t wear because “only people with GED’s wear those”? Get over yourself.So you’re better than people with GED’s? They can still go to college and no, I don’t mean Everest or these other vocational schools bougie people love to make fun of so much because they went to a University or just “University” without the “a”.

    Sigh…I’m thinking that many of these posters are trying so hard NOT to be hood, that they go totally overboard in Bougie-ness and don’t even realize it and they think they are just “cultured”. Real cultured people are more down-to earth, and I don’t mean that fake, newly acquired B.S. where everything is soy milk, incense and Bantu Twists. Being bougie is an undesirable trait, just as how they think being “hood” is. Don’t think your BA, BS or Master’s automatically makes you better than anyone else. In the End, you will still be roastin’ in the same Hell right next to the Prostyle slicked-down edged girl whose diet consisted of Four Lokos and Hot Cheetos who never once stepped outside her town…or are you too bougie to not believe in a hell because Oprah has you reading too many new-age books or you took too many Philosophy classes and are now in a more “elevated state of mind” where Heaven is here on Earth and what you make of it and hell is living ratchet or something.
    Okay, I know I probably lost some people with the whole hell thing but I hope people still got the point.

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  185. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RhmGP6mj6Qs
    For those not sure how to spell “bourgie” let’s look to the couple who created the term in the first place, Ashford and Simpson. Bougie or Bourgie is short for bourgeiosie or the adjective “bourgeois”. The short version is slang and can be spelled any way we want because it is SLANG :-) .

    I guess I’m bougie because I am a Delta and I love Thai food!! Who knew?

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  186. For the record, “bougie” and “bourgeois” is not the same word. One is BEV and the other is French. Incidentally, there really isn’t a *correct* spelling for a word that doesn’t exist. . .per se.

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