Where do Shade, Tea and Clocken really come from? The answer lies in black, queer ballroom culture – and hardly anyone knows it.
“Throwing shade”, “spilling tea”, or “clocking something” – there are numerous such slang expressions circulating on the Internet and they are increasingly finding their way into the language of young people and those young at heart. Many parents look at their children’s speech perplexed.
But what is unknown to most people despite being chronically online is where these words come from. More and more terms from the so-called ballroom culture are migrating into the mainstream without many users being aware of their context. We explain what “Shade”, “Tea”, “clocken” and “serven” mean, where the roots of our internet language lie and what Madonna has to do with all of this.
The language of a subculture
It began in New York in the 1960s: the city’s white gay scene was anything but inclusive. Black and Latino LGBTQ people are not welcome in the bars, clubs and balls where the white part of the community meets. As a result, a movement of its own is formed: queer people with experience of racism meet in new places, start their own balls and compete there in various categories. Extravagant outfits, drag performances and dance performances are compared, but also how well a person “fits” – i.e. is perceived for the gender that they present to the outside world.
The subculture becomes a safe space: The participants become members of so-called “houses” that not only serve as a place to live, but also as a kind of family and network. Within this community, a unique way of speaking develops: people “spilt tea”, “clock” or someone throws “shade” – and much more.
Over time, mainstream circles picked up certain terms, but the historical context was lost. Ballroom first found its way into pop culture through the documentary “Paris is Burning” (1991) and Madonna’s music video for “Vogue” (1990). Madonna hired real ballroom dancers for this.
Many terms found their way into social media through television shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Individual content creators are currently drawing attention to the background of internet slang. In doing so, they generate new attention and pay respect to the ballroom culture.
What do the terms mean?
Many meanings have changed through pop culture usage or the usage has become broader. However, the core of the statements often remains.
Clock something
Today, “clocking” is usually simply used as a synonym for “understanding,” often accompanied by typing the index finger and thumb together. Even before its use in the ballroom scene, “to clock something” meant recognizing or noticing something. In Black queer culture, this meaning became more specific: “clocking” someone now meant noticing and seeing through something that was not immediately visible – such as a person’s transness or sexuality. Being “clocked” was a real risk. It had to be avoided as best as possible to be recognized as trans or homosexual in public, as this would have had serious consequences. The term “clocking” therefore took on a very important meaning. The hand movement has also changed: instead of the thumb and index finger, the thumb and middle finger were used.
Spill tea
The situation is similar with the slang “spilling tea”: today the hot drink usually simply stands for spreading gossip. The expression first appeared in the ballroom context and meant the true side of a story. Anyone who had “Tea” could provide important insider information.
Shade
Anyone who speaks of “Shade” these days means an indirect criticism or insult. In “Paris is Burning”, Pepper LaBeija explains its use in the ballroom scene: “Shade is when I don’t tell you you’re ugly, but I don’t have to tell you because you know you’re ugly. That’s shade.” Here the use of slang remains close to its original intention.
Serve
Another term from the ballroom: whoever “served” at a ball presented a certain element or attribute to perfection. When a ballroom participant served his “look”, he brought outfit and performance into perfect harmony. The usage is similar today: whoever “serves” does something perfectly, is extremely well styled or shows a lot of self-confidence.
Respect for the origin story
More respect is being demanded again for the creation of modern slang words. The question arises as to whether white, heterosexual people should still use the terms. Opinions vary: Some users on social media believe that ballroom language should not be appropriated for the mainstream and should be reserved for queer people. Others see the topic more loosely – as long as there is respect for the history of its origins and the true creators of internet slang are recognized, everyone can continue to use “Shade”, “Tea” and “clocken”.
