You the Birthday: Breaking Down Latest Trend Started By Black TikTok

A new “You The Birthday” trend created by Black TikTok has made its rounds across the internet. The phrase stands as the latest viral hit started by Black creators on the video sharing platform. However, those not in the know remain confused on what the phrase means, and, furthermore, how to use it. One TikToker, named The Trill Professor, gave a break down on the how the phrase plays into AAVE’s fluid grammatical structure. @thetrillprofessor “You the birthday” AAVE #aave #english #teachersoftiktok ♬ original sound – Travis “Just context, intonation and cultural understanding doing all of the work,” explained the TikToker, real name Travis G. Hubbard, on how the phrase came to life. Hubbard, a current Ph.D. candidate in literacy, language and culture, told TODAY about the term’s new connotations. “When someone says ‘you the birthday,’ they are positioning the subject as a metaphorical embodiment of everything the word birthday connotes — celebration, joy, the reason everyone showed up,” Hubbard explained. “You are not at a birthday…You are not having a birthday. You are the birthday. The subject becomes the thing itself.” Forbes further described the phrase as a way to say someone is acting as the main character of a situation, warranted or not. “The phrase is used to describe a person who is trying too hard, acting over-the-top or expecting fawning, birthday-like attention from everyone in the room, to the point whe…