Glow-Down
what it means
Coined as the inevitable joke counterpart. It's almost always used self-deprecatingly, because aimed at someone else it's simply cruel.
The opposite of a glow-up — appearing to have declined rather than improved.
the origin story
A direct inversion of "glow-up", spreading online from around 2017 as the glow-up format became ubiquitous.
It's mostly used about yourself during a rough period — exam season, illness, a bad haircut — where the humour comes from the comparison to the aspirational format. Applied to public figures it draws immediate criticism, which has kept it largely self-directed.
in the wild
Photo from January versus now.
Full glow-down. Deadline season.
Not everything is an upward trajectory.
Someone had to name the other direction.
how to use it
- Self-deprecating about a rough period
- Joking about the glow-up format
- Casual conversation
- About other people's appearance
- Professionally
- Where illness or hardship is the cause
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