# ABG ABG, short for Asian Baby Girl or Asian Baby Gangster, names a slang term and fashion archetype tied to Asian American women known for bleached hair, tattoos, Adidas sets and boba tea[1]. Growing out of 1990s New York Chinatown gang subcultures, the look was reshaped online by 2010s YouTube tutorials and later went viral on TikTok through the 2020 ABG Challenge[4]. ## Origin The 'Asian Baby Gangster' label traces back to Asian American women in 1990s New York City Chinatown, who adopted thinned brows, lightened hair and tattoos as a counter to stereotypes of the quiet, submissive Asian woman[1]. Writer Mai Train documented this history for i-D in October 2020, describing the aesthetic as a reaction to how Chinatown women were perceived[1]. Online, the first known mention of 'ABG' surfaced on February 7th, 2009, in an Urban Dictionary entry by user Lolzercoptorzallday that laid out the acronym for a wider audience[7]. The 2010s diaspora internet picked up both the slang and the look, and the term moved from gang shorthand to a fashion label used across Asian American social media[5]. - **Platform:** Urban Dictionary (first online mention) / YouTube and TikTok (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 2009 ## Overview Online, ABG mostly appears as a visual archetype in starter pack memes and makeup tutorials, not as a single joke format[5]. A typical post lays out the markers: bleached hair with dark roots, winged eyeliner, lash extensions, hoop earrings, body piercings, Adidas three-stripe sets, a boba cup and a boyfriend in a modified Honda or BMW[3]. The humor often leans affectionate, with Asian American creators cataloguing or exaggerating the look from inside the community. The acronym gets deployed like 'valley girl,' labeling a type instead of a specific person[5]. On TikTok, the ABG Challenge turned the aesthetic into a before-and-after format in which users film themselves transforming into the look with liner, lashes and tinted contacts[4]. Posts range from straight tutorials to joke edits that match the styling to a soft or trap backing track. ## How to Use Starter pack posts stack the aesthetic's markers (bleached hair with dark roots, winged liner, lash extensions, Adidas slides, a nose hoop and a boba cup) alongside lifestyle cues like Thai iced tea runs and Honda meet-ups[5]. For video versions, creators commonly film a plain-face 'before' and a styled 'after,' often set to a trap or phonk track in line with the ABG Challenge format[4]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is ABG? ABG is a slang label and fashion archetype for Asian American women styled with bleached hair, tattoos, Adidas sets, hoop piercings and boba tea[1]. ### Where did ABG come from? The 'Asian Baby Gangster' identity traces to 1990s New York Chinatown, and the earliest known online use of 'ABG' is a February 7th, 2009, Urban Dictionary entry[7]. ### What does ABG mean? ABG stands for Asian Baby Girl or Asian Baby Gangster, used much like 'valley girl' to name a type instead of a specific person[5]. ### How do you use ABG? People use ABG in starter pack memes, makeup tutorials and TikTok transformation videos such as the 2020 ABG Challenge led by @janellemyh[4]. ### Is ABG still popular? Yes, the aesthetic kept its reach through the 2020 TikTok challenge and 2023's '3D' by Jungkook and Jack Harlow, which name-checks ABGs in its lyrics[6]. ## References 1. [https://web.archive.org/web/20210514174553/https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/g5p44x/it-was-a-cultural-reset-a-short-history-of-the-abg-aesthetic]() 2. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa-62gOZpJo]() 3. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW1a3UOAIaw]() 4. [https://www.tiktok.com/@janellemyh/video/6842195114119548166]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/abg-asian-baby-girl]() 6. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHNCM-YALSA]() 7. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ABG]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/abg-asian-baby-girl Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library