General
butterface
What does butterface mean?
A mean little pun: 'butterface' = 'but her face.' The idea being everything about her looks good but her face. It's crude, it's sexist, and it knows it. Started in Black college and queer slang in the 90s as 'butta face' before bros dragged it mainstream in the 2000s. Urban Dictionary made it Word of the Day in 2009 and people rightly clocked how nasty it is.
"He called her a butterface and honestly we all just stopped inviting him out."
Origin
Recorded in Black college slang as 'Butta Face' by 1997; a pun on 'everything but her face.' Spread among men through the 2000s; Urban Dictionary Word of the Day 2009.
Frequently asked questions
What does "butterface" mean?
Butterface is a sexist backhanded term for a woman seen as attractive everywhere "but her face."
Is "butterface" offensive?
Yes — it's a demeaning, sexist put-down that insults a woman's appearance, so it's considered rude and disrespectful.
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