General
thug realness
What does thug realness mean?
Thug realness is a realness category where you're scored on how convincingly you pass as a hard street 'thug' — the walk, the clothes, the attitude, the whole performance of tough masculinity. Realness in ballroom is about being so authentic you'd blend into that world unnoticed, and thug realness is its street-tough flavour, a close cousin of banjee.
"His thug realness was so clean the judges gave it straight tens."
Origin
Ballroom realness category from Black and Latino queer culture, scored on passing convincingly as a tough street figure.
Frequently asked questions
What does "thug realness" mean?
It's a ballroom category judged on how convincingly you can pass as a tough street figure.
How do you use "thug realness" in a sentence?
"He took the crown in the thug realness category."
Where does "thug realness" come from?
It comes from ballroom culture, where 'realness' categories reward how believably a competitor embodies a given persona.
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