WTF Does “Mogging” Mean?

Gen Z’s got, without a doubt, a knack for constantly expanding their vocabulary with new slang words. As soon as a new one is generated (which is like, every other day), it essentially takes over everybody’s feeds and leaves you questioning whether you really do know English or not. From “rizz” to “mewing,” the never-ending list of words can get pretty hard to keep up with. So, if you’ve been on TikTok at all recently, chances are you’ve come across one of the newest additions to the list: “mogging.” 

Personally, I see the word “mogging” literally everywhere, and not just on TikTok — Instagram and X (Twitter), among other social media, are all flooded with this humorous new buzzword. It’s in comment sections, posts, threads, you name it. Usually, people will use it under photos of two people posing together. You’ll see things like “she got mogged,” or “did I kinda mog here?” or “she’s always mogging.” 

But WTH does all this even mean? If you’re confused, you’re def not alone. When I first saw the term, I thought it was a typo of the word “mug…” yeah, not my proudest moment. But after some digging, I was able to uncover everything you need to know about Gen Z’s latest slang word — allow me to break it down for you. 

What does “mogging” mean?

Mogging is the act of looking significantly better, or more attractive, than someone else. For example, if two people are posing for a photo, and the other person is obviously better looking than the other, they’ve “mogged” them. It’s simply a way of saying someone has one-upped another person physically. It’s usually used in a very lighthearted or playful way, which just makes it all the more funny.

But mogging doesn’t always have to be about attractiveness, though. People have started to attach virtually anything in front of the word, creating new terms like “heightmogging” or “outfitmogging.” It can be used virtually anytime something is significantly “more” or “better” in comparison to another thing next to it. I had a friend the other day who said, “Why are you foodmogging me right now?” after I bought sushi for lunch when she only had crackers with her. There truly are no limits to creativity. 

So, I hope you feel like you’ve gotten a bit more understanding of this new slang. But, quick word of advice: take mogging with a grain of salt. I’ve seen a little too many people get a little too worked up about it, and stressing about whether or not you’ve gotten “mogged” in a photo is not something you should be dedicating your precious time to.

• culture
• digital
• tiktok
• viral