The "S" Word: SWUG

By Sophia Orlander on October 9, 2013

Alas, the “s” word. I don’t even want to say it, but here it is— the hated acronym in its entirety: “SWUG”.  For those of you who don’t know what this term means (and if you don’t, I still love you), this expression is short for “senior washed up girl”. A SWUG is defined as a fourth-year senior girl who rarely goes out, stops dressing up and, frankly, stops caring about her appearance, giving up on the hope of any type of romantic relationship. One can most likely find a SWUG residing on the couch in her SWUG mansion watching Netflix and drinking wine with her swuggy friends. Note that she’s probably wearing leggings, an oversized sweater and UGGs, too.

Sure, when I first heard this term as a sophomore I thought it was funny. Perhaps I even used the term myself—naively, of course; however, now that I am a senior girl, I have started to rethink this idiom and wanted to share my thoughts and concerns with you lovely, self-proclaimed, non-washed up girls and boys.

Who is responsible for this novel phrase, one might ask? It is rumored that approximately three years ago, a fraternity that is not to be named came up with this multifaceted term to describe their senior girlfriends. My skepticism remains; for I believe this could be the inner-workings of the underclassmen. Perhaps this is merely a defense mechanism created by those who are intimidated by their experienced superiors? OK, that might be a stretch, but I think we can agree on one thing: A senior girl certainly did not coin this term. A close friend and, more importantly, an alleged SWUG says, “Guys only call us SWUGS because we always go for the older guys. And because they graduated and we're still not interested in them, they simply retaliated with this messed-up jargon.” I think I like this incredibly optimistic explanation the most.

Regardless of where SWUG originated or how much I dislike the term, it is clear that there is some truth to this movement. For instance, it is definitely accurate that senior girls place less emphasis on their appearance and take off a few more nights than the average undergrad. Unfortunately, SWUGS are misconstrued as females who don’t care about anything, but in reality, this is a skill that is acquired and learned. Upon first embarking on college, freshman girls are often consumed with the social hierarchy and superficiality that is Greek life, and on a larger scale, college life, in general. After years of dealing with catty behavior, girls have become desensitized to the madness, which ultimately has resulted in a lack of caring.

Is this something that should be condemned? On the contrary, I believe the nonchalant, easy-going nature of the “SWUG” is something that should be admired. In reality, a SWUG is just an experienced girl who isn’t “over” college, but is definitely over giving a damn about petty nuances.

So ladies, are we putting down our party hats and calling it quits? I don’t think so. In fact, we plan to reenter the world of unwashed-up adults once we graduate college. We are just enjoying our senior year—join us, won’t you?

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format