Bro culture is a

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, poli ...

of young people (originally young men, hence "brother culture") who spend time

partying A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature fo ...

with others like themselves. Although the original image of the bro lifestyle is associated with sports apparel and fraternities, it lacks a consistent definition. Most aspects vary regionally such as in California where it overlaps with

surf culture Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion, and lifestyle surrounding the sport of surfing. The history of surfing began with the ancient Polynesians. That initial culture directly influenced modern surfing, which began to flourish ...

. Oxford Dictionaries have noted that bros frequently

self-identify Personal identity is the unique numerical identity of a person over time. Discussions regarding personal identity typically aim to determine the necessary and sufficient conditions under which a person at one time and a person at another time can ...

with neologisms containing the word "bro" as a prefix or suffix. Frat boys (4656878550)

Etymology and history

Bro was originally an abbreviated form of the word brother but began to assume non-familial connotations in the 20th century. In this evolution, it was first used to refer to another man, such as a "guy" or "fellow". In these ways, it was semantically similar to the use of "brother". In the 1970s, bro came to refer to a male friend rather than just another man. The word became associated with young men who spend time partying with others like themselves. Oxford Dictionaries identified the use of the term "bro" as the one "defining feature" of the changing cultural attributes of young manhood. Other variations exist such as brah, breh, bruh ( African American Vernacular English), Bruv (British). The applications of bro subculture correlate with neologisms that include the word. The word is used as a modifier for compound terms such as "

brogrammer "Brogrammer" or "tech bro" are slang terms often used to label a stereotypically masculine programmer. ''Brogrammer'' is a portmanteau of '' bro'' and '' programmer''. It is often used pejoratively, but some programmers self-describe themselves as ...

" and "curlbro". Oxford Dictionaries wrote that the term "lends itself" to compounding and blending, with combinations such as "bro-hug" and "bro-step" and

portmanteaux A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsbromance A bromance is a very close and non-sexual relationship between two or more men. It is an exceptionally tight, affectional, homosocial male bonding relationship exceeding that of usual friendship, and is distinguished from normal friendship by ...

", and "brohemian". This creation of neologisms was called "portmanbros" by 2009. Oxford compared this trend to man- prefixes (e.g., man cave, mansplaining,

manscaping Male grooming refers to men paying attention to fashion and enhancing their own appearance. This interest has become increasingly apparent in popular culture. Background and history By location According to Statista, by 2024 the global male g ...

) but noted that the bro

portmanteaux A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsTransWorld Surf'', entered the '' Oxford English Dictionary''. The term "bro-hug" was used at least eight times in '' The New York Times'' between 2010 and 2013 and "brogrammer" once became the center of Silicon Valley gender conversations. In comparison to the "hipster" modifier, Oxford Dictionaries called the "bro" modifier more playful, and responsible for making the subculture "ripe for (often self-inflicted) mockery".

Characteristics

Bro culture is not defined consistently or concretely, but refers to a type of "fratty masculinity," predominantly "if not exclusively" white, associated with frayed-brim baseball hats, oxford shirts, sports team T-shirts, and boat shoes or sandals. NPR also noted that bros could include people of color and women, though that is not the popular conception of bro subculture. Ryan_Lochte_after_winning_100_butterfly_(9002490850)

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The wide-ranging iterations of bro include "twenty-something investment bankers", fraternity brothers in flannel shirts, and "laconic surfers". NPR identified four types of bros: dudely, jockish, preppy, and stoner-ish. In their description, dudely bros form close and homosocial friendships in a group of bros, jockish bros are defined by ability at team sports tempered by interest in alcohol,

preppy Preppy (also spelled preppie) or prep (all abbreviations of the word ''preparatory'') is a subculture in the United States associated with the alumni of old private Northeastern college preparatory schools. The terms are used to denote a perso ...

bros wear "conservatively casual" clothes such as Abercrombie and Fitch (and are the sons of Brooks Brothers-wearing men) and flaunt "

social privilege Social privilege is a theory of special advantage or entitlement, which benefits one person, often to the detriment of others. Privileged groups can be advantaged based on education, social class, caste, age, height, weight, nationality, geographi ...

", and stoner-ish bros may not necessary use cannabis but speak relaxedly and exude the air of surfers. The gay community on Reddit has coined the term "gaybro" to refer to gay men who exhibit bro characteristics in defiance of the usual stereotypes of gay male behavior. Oxford Dictionaries identify bros metonymously as those who themselves use the word to refer to others, such as in the example of "

don't tase me, bro Don't, Dont, or DONT may refer to: Films * Don't (1925 film), ''Don't'' (1925 film), a 1925 silent comedy film * Don't (1974 film), ''Don't'' (1974 film), a 1974 film about the monarch butterfly * ''Don't'', a fake trailer from the film ''Grindho ...

", in which the taserer is not a bro, but the tased is. Oxford also recognized Neil Patrick Harris' character Barney Stinson on the sitcom ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...

'' as "the quintessence of a certain iteration of the contemporary bro," noting how his language uses the word liberally. A survey from NPR's ''Codeswitch'' blog named popular figures such as Matthew McConaughey, Brody Jenner, Joe Rogan, Dane Cook, and

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...

as representative of bro subculture, with

Ryan Lochte Ryan Steven Lochte ( ; born August 3, 1984) is an American professional swimmer and 12-time Olympic medalist. Along with Natalie Coughlin, Dara Torres, and Jenny Thompson, he is the second-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history measured by to ...

as their "platonic ideal of bro-dom".

Lacrosse bro (Lax Bro)

Lax bro subculture is defined as a laid-back ("chill") lifestyle associated with lacrosse. The bounds of the subculture are loose, but its character traits include "understated confidence that critics call arrogance", long hair known as "lettuce," colorful board shorts, flat-brim

baseball hat A baseball cap is a type of soft cap, hat with a rounded crown and a stiff bill projecting in front. The front of the hat typically displays a design or a logo (historically, usually only a sports team, namely a baseball team, or names of releva ...

s, and colorful half-calf socks. The bands

O.A.R. O.A.R. (short for Of A Revolution) is an American rock band, founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, saxophonist/guitar ...

, Dispatch, and Dave Matthews Band are associated with lax bros. Typical lax bro attitude and style are common in middle schools and universities according to a 2012 report in '' The Boston Globe''. Enthusiasts praise the subculture's sense of identity and popularization of a sport indigenous to the United States, while detractors take issue with the "preppie/frat boy image that glorifies elitism and wealth, and values flash over hard work".

Brogrammer

The phenomenon of the

sees bro culture take root in the technology industry. The term is almost always applied pejoratively, generally in reference to a workplace culture that undervalues people who do not fit into the bro lifestyle, particularly women. Brogrammer culture can be contrasted with geek culture, which values ability and passion over image. In 2013, former Microsoft game designer Daniel Cook wrote that the company was responsible for developing the bro subculture within video gaming, explaining that the " Xbox put machismo, ultra-violence and chimpboys with backwards caps in the spotlight. ..Gamers were handed a pre-packaged group identity via the propaganda machine of a mega corporation." Cook writes that Microsoft has done this in order to distance the Xbox from its console competitors, which were portrayed as "kids platform .

Criticism

Since 2013, the term has been adopted by feminists and the media to refer to a misogynist culture within an organization or community. In a '' New York Magazine'' article in September 2013, Ann Friedman wrote: "''Bro'' once meant something specific: a self-absorbed young white guy in board shorts with a taste for cheap beer. But it’s become a shorthand for the sort of privileged ignorance that thrives in groups dominated by wealthy, white, straight men." '' Vox'' referred to Silicon Valley's "bro culture problem" in its review of

Emily Chang Emily Chang may refer to: * Emily Chang (actress) (born 1980), American actress * Emily Chang (journalist) Emily Hsiu-Ching Chang (; born August 11, 1980) is an American journalist, executive producer, and author. Chang was the anchor and execut ...

's book '' Brotopia''. In 2014 and 2017, ''

Inc Inc. or inc may refer to: * Incorporation (business), as a suffix indicating a corporation * ''Inc.'' (magazine), an American business magazine * Inc. No World, a Los Angeles-based band * Indian National Congress, a political party in India * I ...

'' published articles using the term in a similarly pejorative manner. In its coverage of the 2019 Telegramgate scandal, in which investigative journalists published text messages written by the

governor of Puerto Rico The governor of Puerto Rico ( es, gobernador de Puerto Rico) is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and commander-in-chief of the Puerto Rico National Guard. The governor has a duty ...

, '' The New York Times'' referred to "an arrogant 'bro' culture of elites who joked about making chumps out of even their own supporters."

References