Following the "chill guy" trend, a young man almost got into trouble with the law

In late 2024, the Gen Z community suddenly went viral with the phrase "chill guy - chill girl" (original: chill guy). This is a phrase young people use to refer to a calm lifestyle in the face of problems.

In the last days of the year, Gen Z suddenly became popular with the phrase "chill guy" or "chill guy" in Vietnamese. The hashtag "chill guy" is currently being used by many young people on Tiktok with more than 250 thousand posts going viral after only a few hours.

Regarding the "chill guy" trend, this is a phrase with a general formula of suggesting a problem, issue, or event that is difficult that you have encountered and will encounter, but it's okay/not a concern or you still feel light and happy because you are a relaxed person. Here are some examples of sentences:

- "The end of 2024 is almost here, you realize you're still unemployed, in debt, asking your parents for 5k to park your car, but it's okay because you're a relaxed person."

- "When you forget to reply to her text for two weeks but you're a chill guy."

- "Everyone has a lover before winter, setting a deadline to have a lover before Tet but I don't because I'm a relaxed guy."

- "Even though the alarm went off, I was late for work. But I still gave myself 15 more minutes because I'm not afraid of my boss and I'm a relaxed person."

- "When everything in your life is a mess but it's okay because you're a chill girl."

So where did the trend "chill guy" or "chill guy" - "chill girl" originate? This is an English phrase taken from a post by artist Philip Banks on the X platform (formerly Twitter) in 2023, "chill guy" was originally an anthropomorphic brown dog, with a relaxed style, gray shirt, blue wool pants and hands in pockets. The nonchalant expression and caption: "He is a chill guy, looks gentle and unconcerned" quickly attracted attention and became a symbol of calmness, not affected by anything around. Although born in 2023, it was not until November 2024 that "chill guy" really exploded and became a widely spread meme, representing an optimistic and gentle attitude in the face of all difficulties.

What young people want to learn from this brown bear character is the calm, optimistic and composed demeanor of a person even when facing difficulties. Because living carefree and always enjoying every moment is not easy, especially not everyone has a carefree personality in front of everything happening around. Therefore, when the Chill guy meme became popular, it was quickly responded by Gen Z to create a trend of a relaxing girl/guy on social networking sites.

When it came to Vietnam, "chill guy" was creatively translated into "chill girl" and "chill guy". The original meaning was kept intact, but the phrase also had a humorous, approachable tone and was suitable for the way Vietnamese youth expressed themselves. This trend is not only for entertainment but also for "healing". In the context of the end of the year, when work pressure, finances and personal problems pile up, "chill guy" becomes a reminder that: "It's okay, just stay calm and everything will be fine."

A netizen once commented: "In a world full of toxicity and overthinking, this trend really brings positive energy." However, there are still some opinions that this is a trend that young people use to escape reality, to escape the difficulties ahead. In fact, "Chill guy" does not encourage indifference, but only emphasizes choosing a positive outlook, facing difficulties with a calm mind, and finding ways to solve problems more effectively.

Phillip Banks's image of a calm brown bear is spreading rapidly on social networks and the author himself is also interested in this trend. Phillip said that spreading the image of a brown bear for commercial purposes without the author's consent is a crime of illegal use. Phillip Banks also added that this is a copyrighted character and has confirmation documents. Whoever uses this image for commercial purposes, he will not hesitate to file a lawsuit in court. This is a warning to businesses and establishments that want to use the image of a brown bear for commercial purposes. Before using any image for commercial purposes, it is necessary to research carefully to avoid unfortunate incidents.