Reclaiming “young hoe”

Originally intended as a jab at young Black women, the phrase has been reclaimed

Webster’s dictionary entry, 2035

"Young hoes" showed up on X (Twitter) in late 2025 and quickly became a trending phrase among young Black women. Originally intended as a jab at young Black women’s autonomy and refusal to apologize, the phrase – like many things in Black culture – has been reclaimed. A young hoe cooking everything on high is innovative. She’s found an alternative way to get things done, different than older generations. (An “old hoe,” perhaps.) This young woman doesn’t seek validation from society but paves her own way and rejects attempts to box her in.  

"I am not only my ancestors' greatest dream, but I am also my forefathers' worst nightmare: a liberated, educated woman. I am reclaiming freedom.”

Sunday Rose, a sophomore attending the University of Minnesota who’s pursuing a degree in business, uses this still-trending term as a form of empowerment. In a video referencing herself as a “young ho,” she offers what she calls balance, as she appears to watch “Love Island” and [engage in?] McGraw Hill (the science education company) content.

“[T]his video reclaims education. … [M]y grandmother – who is 90 at this very moment – during her time as a young woman in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, had a school built in her neighborhood. But the men in her town burnt the school because they believed that this would alter the minds of the women in their town. I am not only my ancestors' greatest dream, but I am also my forefathers' worst nightmare: a liberated, educated woman. I am reclaiming freedom.”

This reclamation is a safe space for Black women to see themselves in others and feel less alone. It’s where we also find @lolsitslesloo, a 17-year-old TikTok creator, who says about one video she posted, “I was trying to reclaim my old self because of the fact that I’ve lost myself along the way from a past toxic relationship. And me joining in on this trend has helped me find myself again, by looking back on how I use to do things at my own pace and own peace of mind.” 

The trend has its complexities that challenge the system. Sunday Rose sees the phrase as layered and deeply rooted in culture. “Being a ‘young hoe’ to me is a term used to describe young liberated, educated Black women,” she explains. “These women are baby adults around the ages of 19 to 25 who are figuring life out and doing things on their own terms.”  

While the internet may treat the phrase as only young humor, Sunday believes it pushes against respectability politics.

“Women in history have always had to follow societal standards — domesticity, nurturing, caregiving. … Just because something looks different from tradition doesn’t mean it’s lazy. It can be innovative,” Sunday says, defining the movement. “It’s about self-ownership. Doing things without thinking about men perceiving you. Finding admiration within yourself instead of receiving it from men.”

And @lolsitslesloo agrees, “This challenges politics by saying that us Black women do not have to act a certain way for society, and we always don’t have to be perfect. Instead of trying to fit in like everyone else, we use this trend to gain more confidence in ourselves as woman.”

To that end, Sunday draws a clear distinction between perception and agency explaining the difference between hyper-sexualization and self-expression is choice. “Hyper-sexualization is created by others’ beliefs. Self-expression is a choice someone creates for themselves.”

And for critics who think the trend is “doing too much”? Sunday is direct: “Expressing yourself will never be too much. Just because someone can’t handle it doesn’t mean others can’t. This is self-expression — and people are allowed to have fun.”

When you see funny “young hoes” videos online, remember young people are doing things differently because times have changed. Being different isn’t wrong and can be revolutionary. In a world that tries to tell Black women we can't participate and aren’t welcome in rooms, this trend sets the tone of the story we want told.