What Does It Mean To "Get Curved" And Why Are All The Cool Kids Saying It?

When I was a teenager, I swore I would never be one of those “old” people who didn’t understand the phrases and words that only the young people use.

Well here I am, I few years past old, and I have no idea what my teenager is saying half the time.

Writing for a pop culture blog, it can be really embarrassing when I’m reading through articles or answering comments, and I have no clue what the words are that are coming off the page.

I finally got a handle on GOAT, FIRE, NO CAP, 53X, CHEUGY, and VSCO — I even use them sometimes (sorry, kids).

But, my daughter just said that her friend “got curved” when she went out this weekend, and I was stumped once again.

I didn’t want to act like the “uncool” mom who doesn’t get it, so I just nodded, and then grabbed my computer when she wasn’t looking.

You get to learn from my near humiliating ignorance, and I’m going to skool* you on everything “getting curved.”

So, what does “getting curved” mean, anyway?

Basically, “getting curved” means to be rejected. As in, you expressed feelings for a person, and they didn’t return said feelings. You just “got curved.”

It is a rejection. We’ve all been there, there’s just a term for it now.

You can be “curved” in-person, and that can be hella mortifying. Like when you make eye contact with someone, start to walk over to them, but they turn and walk away before you can get there. Ouch!

But, the term can also refer to anytime you text, message, or group chat with someone, and they diss* you.

Or, on the flip side, maybe you “curve” someone who asks you out.

Let’s say you get a text that asks if you want to hangout, but you really don’t want to. You might respond back with a vague, “Sure! Let’s hang sometime” or “Ha!” or something similarly ambiguous.