Way back in 2022, a lesbian friend of mine invited me out for a drink to introduce me to her new belle. We had a grand old time, but I remember being extremely confused when my friend showed me some pictures that they had taken, and she said, “I look like such a Hey Mamas!”
Being confused but curious, I thrust up my hand as would a schoolchild to ask, “what is a Hey Mamas?”
So, what is a “Hey Mamas lesbian”? Why is a plural word used to describe a singular person? And why do we need to delve into, of all things, fuckboi “culture”? Let’s get into it!
@jharbs_ Replying to @💋 uR tHe F*%#iNg bEsT 😅 #wlw #heymamas ♬ original sound – Jadyn 🖤 What Is “Hey Mamas Lesbian”?
“Hey Mamas” Lesbian is, essentially, a type of masc presenting lesbian who takes up the fashion sensibilities and (to some extent ironically) the actions of what we might consider to be a fuckboi. These include snapback baseball caps, baggy jeans, and a short (usually undercut) hairstyle, and interests like skateboarding. In many ways, it is a call-back to ‘90s butch lesbian aesthetics.
The term itself comes from the (often lip-biting) flirty move of striking a confident pose and calling out “hey mama!” to a passing lady — or, in the case of multiple women, “hey mamas!”, a hence the name. The laid back yet confident vibe is a key part of the vibe of a hey mamas.
One thing to note, and we will get into it further down, is that this is a term almost exclusively used by and to describe lesbians who are not black, and primarily white lesbians who fall into this category. But where did the term come from?
The TikTok Origin of ‘Hey Mamas’ Lesbians Term
Hey mamas as a descriptor originated on TikTok, one of the apps of all time. As such, people who identify as a hey mamas are sometimes called “TikTok lesbians.” The original video, posted in 2020, saw various white lesbians in various masc appearances posing for the camera to lull the viewer in with boyishly-seductive “hey mamas” thirst traps.
From there, the term took off online, and women who either thought the persona was funny, or cool, or both, would post videos acting out the persona and life of an “authentic” hey mamas lesbian.
The term can be seen as a joke on kind of cringe sapphics, often younger, affecting a masculine swagger. That said, there are some people who do identify with the label, and are not ironic about it (or, at least, not totally).
So, that all seems fairly clear-cut, right? A hey mamas is a term for a particular type of masc lesbian. The term may have originated from TikTok, but there were doubtless lesbians of this type who existed long before. So we can wrap this article up, right? Well…
@averycyrus 💦😛
♬ original sound – Avery Cyrus Is the Term Controversial?
Long story short: it depends. As mentioned above, the term is used primarily for white lesbians — or, at least, not black lesbians — who adopt this form of masc presentation. Why does this distinction exist, though?
Well, this is because, as can be true of fuckbois, some hey mamas lesbians have been known to put on blaccents, and add what are most traditionally thought of as black lesbian aesthetics to their looks. It is also not unheard of for hey mamas lesbians to describe themselves, as well as a hey mamas or TikTok lesbian, as being a “stud” lesbian. This is cultural appropriation, as stud lesbians are exclusively black sapphics, or those with African-mixed ancestry, as we have discussed previously.
Further, the sudden popularity of the term meant that many people who are new to lesbian terminology may mistake “hey mamas” as being synonymous with “masc” or “butch,” which can cause offense among masc or butch lesbians who do not identify as hey mamas. Let’s run down the quick differences between the various identities below.
@averycyrus 😈🫦
♬ original sound – Avery Cyrus Hey Mamas Lesbian vs. Butch and Stud Identities
I hope that by now you are au fait with what a hey mamas lesbian is. As a quick summary: a confident, brash, thirst-trap type sapphic with something of a ‘90s or skater boy aesthetic. This is a subset of butch lesbians, but it does not mean the same thing.
Butch lesbians are queer women who have a hard masculine style. While all hey mamas are under the butch spectrum, not all butch lesbians are hey mamas (in the same vein that all robins are birds, but not all birds are robins).
Stud lesbians, as mentioned, are considered to be butch lesbians, but the term is not to be used to describe non-black lesbians, and especially not white women.
So there we have it. Hey mamas are a relatively new (or at least, newly defined) lesbian category, but one which has grown to a degree or fame (or notoriety, if you prefer) thanks to its association with social media.
Bye, mamas!
