{{Short description|Subculture of young men}} {{Redirect2|Brah|Bruh (slang)|the writing system|Brahmi script|a male sibling|Brother}} <!-- See Wikipedia:Redirects_for_discussion/Log/2021_December_15#Bruh_(slang) -->
[[File:Frat boys (4656878550).jpg|thumb|Fraternity brothers are commonly associated with bro culture.]]
'''Bro culture''' is a North American subculture of young people (originally young men, hence "brother culture")<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Tweet |last2=WhatsApp |date=2019-05-10 |title=The Great 'Bro-liferation': Should Women Be Calling Each Other 'Bro'? |url=https://livewire.thewire.in/gender-and-sexuality/the-great-bro-liferation-should-women-be-calling-each-other-bro/ |access-date=2022-05-07 |website=Live Wire |language=en-US}}</ref> who spend time partying with others like themselves.<ref name="Oxford dict">{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Katherine Connor|date=October 9, 2013|title=The rise of the portmanbro|url=http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2013/10/the-rise-of-the-portmanbro/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407090803/http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2013/10/the-rise-of-the-portmanbro/|archive-date=April 7, 2014|access-date=April 5, 2014|publisher=Oxford Dictionaries}}</ref> Although the original image of the bro lifestyle is associated with sports apparel and fraternities, it lacks a consistent definition. Most aspects vary regionally, such as in California, where it overlaps with surf culture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collegemagazine.com/top-10-schools-for-bros/|title=CM's Top 10 Schools for Bros 2014|first=Madison|last=Rutherford|work=College Magazine|date=2014-08-04|access-date=2015-03-08}}</ref> It often refers to a culture of machismo but sometimes also a darker hypermasculinity, including binge drinking, sexism, and rape culture.<ref name="USA TODAY Sumter 2017">{{cite news| url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/college/2017/06/07/what-we-mean-when-we-say-bro-culture/37432805/ |title=What we mean when we say 'bro culture' |author=Kyler Sumter |work=USA Today| date=7 June 2017| access-date=14 October 2024| quote='Bro culture' refers not just to macho behaviors in general, but also to darker things like binge drinking, sexism, rape culture and other elements associated with hyper masculinity.}}</ref> Oxford Dictionaries have noted that bros frequently self-identify with neologisms containing the word "bro" as a prefix or suffix.
==Etymology and history== Bro was originally an abbreviated form of the word brother,<ref name="NY Mag" /> dating back to at least 1660.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Malady |first=Matthew J. X. |date=2014-08-13 |title=The End of Bro |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/08/bro-slang-origins-history-and-overuse-suggests-the-term-may-not-last.html |access-date=2025-07-29 |work=Slate |language=en-US |issn=1091-2339}}</ref> It began to assume non-familial connotations in the 20th century.<ref name=":0" /> In this evolution, it was first used to refer to another man, such as a "guy" or "fellow".<ref name=":0" /> In these ways, it was semantically similar to the use of "brother". In the 1970s, bro came to refer to a male friend rather than just another man.<ref name=":0" /> The word became associated with young men who spend time partying with others like themselves.<ref name="NY Mag" /> ''Oxford Dictionaries'' identified the use of the term "bro" as the one "defining feature" of the changing cultural attributes of young manhood.<ref name="Oxford dict"/> Other variations exist such as brah, breh, bruh (African American Vernacular English).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-05 |title=What's the Difference Between 'Bro,' 'Brah,' 'Bruv,' 'Bruh' and 'Breh'? |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/bro-brah-bruv-bruh-and-breh-meanings-explained |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=MEL Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> The British English bruv, derived from "bruvver", dates from the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bruv|title=Bruv – English meaning – Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Oxford English Dictionary |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/bruv_n?tl=true}}</ref>
The applications of bro subculture correlate with neologisms that include the word.<ref name="NY Mag">{{cite web |url=http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/10/exploring-the-etymology-of-bro.html |access-date=April 5, 2014 |title=Exploring the Etymology of 'Bro' |last1=Schwiegershausen |first1=Erica |date=October 9, 2013 |work=New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407074823/http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/10/exploring-the-etymology-of-bro.html |archive-date=April 7, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> The word is used as a modifier for compound terms such as "brogrammer" and "curlbro". Oxford Dictionaries wrote that the term "lends itself" to compounding and blending, with combinations such as "bro-hug" and "bro-step" and portmanteaux such as "bro-down", "bromance", and "brohemian". This creation of neologisms was called "{{va|portmanbros|portmanbro}}" by 2009. Oxford compared this trend to man- prefixes (e.g., man cave, mansplaining, manscaping) but noted that the bro portmanteaux subset refers to a smaller portion of masculinity, noting that many of the terms were "stunt coinages" with little hope of widespread adoption. However, the term "bromance", whose first usage was recorded in a 2001 issue of ''TransWorld Surf'', entered the ''Oxford English Dictionary''. The term "bro-hug" was used at least eight times in ''The New York Times'' between 2010 and 2013 and "brogrammer" once became the center of Silicon Valley gender conversations. In comparison to the "hipster" modifier, Oxford Dictionaries called the "bro" modifier more playful, and responsible for making the subculture "ripe for (often self-inflicted) mockery".<ref name="Oxford dict"/>
== Characteristics== [[File:Neil Patrick Harris 2008.jpg|thumb|Neil Patrick Harris, known for playing bro character Barney Stinson]] Bro culture is not defined consistently or concretely.<ref name="Oxford dict"/> However, it typically refers to a type of "fratty masculinity,"<ref name="NPR Codeswitch"/> predominantly white,<ref name="Oxford dict"/> and is associated with frayed-brim baseball hats, oxford shirts, sports team T-shirts, and boat shoes or sandals.<ref name="NPR Codeswitch"/> NPR noted that bros could include people of color and women.<ref name="NPR Codeswitch"/>
[[File:Ryan_Lochte_after_winning_100_butterfly_(9002490850).jpg|thumb|right|250px|Ryan Lochte was named as the "platonic ideal of bro-dom" in 2013.<ref name="NPR Codeswitch" />]] NPR identified four types of bros: dudely, jockish, preppy, and stoner-ish.<ref name="Oxford dict"/> In their description, dudely bros form close homosocial friendships in a group, jockish bros are defined by ability at team sports tempered by interest in alcohol, preppy bros wear "conservatively casual" clothes such as Abercrombie and Fitch and flaunt "social privilege", and stoner-ish bros may or may not use cannabis but speak in a relaxed fashion and exude the air of surfers.<ref name="NPR Codeswitch">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/06/21/193881290/jeah-we-mapped-out-the-four-basic-aspects-of-being-a-bro |access-date=April 5, 2014 |title=Jeah! We Mapped Out The 4 Basic Aspects Of Being A 'Bro' |last1=Demby |first1=Gene |date=June 21, 2013 |publisher=NPR |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409132456/http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/06/21/193881290/jeah-we-mapped-out-the-four-basic-aspects-of-being-a-bro |archive-date=April 9, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> The gay community on Reddit has coined the term "gaybro" to refer to gay men who exhibit bro characteristics in defiance of the usual stereotypes of gay male behavior.<ref>[http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/03/gaybros_the_reddit_group_of_macho_gay_boys_and_their_trouble_with_fellow.single.html The Reddit group of macho gay boys] ''Slate'' 2013/03</ref>
Oxford Dictionaries identify bros as those who use the word to refer to others, such as in the example of "don't tase me, bro", in which the taserer is not a bro, but the tased is. Oxford also recognized Neil Patrick Harris' character Barney Stinson on the sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' as "the quintessence of a certain iteration of the contemporary bro," noting how his language uses the word liberally.<ref name="Oxford dict" /> A survey from NPR's ''Codeswitch'' blog named popular figures such as Matthew McConaughey, Brody Jenner, Joe Rogan, Dane Cook, and John Mayer as representative of bro subculture, with Ryan Lochte as their "platonic ideal of bro-dom".<ref name="NPR Codeswitch" />
==="Bro code"===
{{Redirect|Bro Code|the book of a similar name|The Bro Code}}
In popular culture, the '''Bro Code''' is a friendship etiquette to be followed among men or, more specifically, among members of the bro subculture. The term was invented and popularized by Barney Stinson, a character from the television show ''How I Met Your Mother''.
The notion of an unwritten set of rules that govern the relationship between straight male friends is present in modern American popular culture at least since 1991. In the ''Seinfeld'' episode "The Stranded", which aired on November 27 that year, Jerry Seinfeld says the following monologue, in one of his stand-up bits:
{{Blockquote|text=All plans between men are tentative. If one man should suddenly have an opportunity to pursue a woman, it's like these two guys never met each other ever in life. '''This is the male code'''. And it doesn't matter how important the arrangements are. I mean, most of the time they scrub a space shuttle mission, it's because one of the astronauts met someone on his way to the launch pad. They hold that countdown. He's leaning against the rocket, talking to her, "So listen, when I get back, what do you say we get together for some Tang?"|source=|character=Jerry Seinfeld|title=The Stranded (''Seinfeld'')}}
''USA Today'' mentions a "bro code" found online, with 128 points. These include: "A Bro never rents a chick flick", "A Bro never cries" and "When a Bro wants to do something stupid, you film it",<ref name="USA TODAY Sumter 2017"/> and (#58) "Bros don't break up chick fights until a sufficient amount of clothing has been pulled off."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://brocode.org/ |title=The Code |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref>
===Lacrosse bro (Lax Bro)=== Lax bro subculture is defined as a laid-back ("chill") lifestyle associated with lacrosse.<ref name="OC Weekly">{{cite web |url=http://www.ocweekly.com/2006-09-21/culture/trendzilla/ |access-date=April 5, 2014 |title=Trendzilla: The bro |last1=Chang |first1=Vickie |date=September 21, 2006 |work=OC Weekly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024204950/http://www.ocweekly.com/2006-09-21/culture/trendzilla/ |archive-date=October 24, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The bounds of the subculture are loose, but its character traits include "understated confidence that critics call arrogance", long hair known as "lettuce,"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://understandinghockey.com/what-is-lettuce-in-hockey/ |title=What Is Lettuce In Hockey? |date=2022-02-22 |website=UnderstandingHockey.com |access-date=2022-10-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014161218/https://understandinghockey.com/what-is-lettuce-in-hockey/ |archive-date=2022-10-14}}</ref> colorful board shorts, flat-brim baseball hats, and colorful half-calf socks. The bands O.A.R., Dispatch, and Dave Matthews Band are associated with lax bros. Typical lax bro attitude and style are common in middle schools and universities according to a 2012 report in ''The Boston Globe''. Enthusiasts praise the subculture's sense of identity and popularization of a sport indigenous to the United States, while detractors take issue with the "preppie/frat boy image that glorifies elitism and wealth, and values flash over hard work".<ref name="Boston lax">{{cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2012/06/05/lacrosse_retailers_gain_customers_on_and_off_the_field/?page=full |access-date=April 5, 2014 |title=Scoring style points |last1=McKim |first1=Jenifer B. |date=June 5, 2012 |work=The Boston Globe |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714184543/http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2012/06/05/lacrosse_retailers_gain_customers_on_and_off_the_field/?page=full |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Tech bro=== {{Main|Tech bro}} The phenomenon of the tech bro, or brogrammer, sees bro culture take root in the technology industry. The term is almost always applied pejoratively, generally in reference to a workplace culture that undervalues people who do not fit into the bro lifestyle, particularly women.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Parviainen|first=Mia L.|date=22 September 2008|title=The Experiences of Women in Computer Science: The Importance of Awareness and Communication|url=http://scholarworks.umb.edu/humanarchitecture/vol6/iss4/11/|journal=Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge|volume=6|issue=4|access-date=27 August 2016|via=scholarworks.umb.edu}}</ref> Brogrammer culture can be contrasted with geek culture, which is said to value ability and passion over image.<ref>{{Cite web|title=the definition of geek|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/geek|access-date=2017-06-07|website=Dictionary.com}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2023}}
In 2013, former Microsoft game designer Daniel Cook wrote that the company was responsible for developing the bro subculture within video gaming, explaining that the "Xbox put machismo, ultra-violence and chimpboys with backwards caps in the spotlight. [...] Gamers were handed a pre-packaged group identity via the propaganda machine of a mega corporation." Cook writes that Microsoft has done this in order to distance the Xbox from its console competitors, which were portrayed as "kids platform[s]".<ref name="Gameplanet: Daniel Cook">{{cite web|last1=Maguire|first1=Matt|date=April 8, 2013|title=Xbox responsible for bro subculture, derivative games – former MS dev|url=http://www.gameplanet.com.au/news/g516203386da52/Xbox-responsible-for-bro-subculture-derivative-games-former-MS-dev/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140414032210/http://www.gameplanet.com.au/news/g516203386da52/Xbox-responsible-for-bro-subculture-derivative-games-former-MS-dev|archive-date=April 14, 2014|access-date=April 5, 2014|work=Gameplanet}}</ref>
===Gym bro===
Gym bros (also known as 'gym rats') are a subgroup of the bro culture who are often defined as being obsessed with the gym (and fitness in general), stereotyped for centering their personality around the gym, including but not limited to: having strict nutrition and training routines, taking a multitude of dietary supplements (such as creatine, protein powder, pre-workout or omega-3), and wearing sleeveless shirts.
The gym bro culture has risen considerably beginning the 2020s decade, with a great influence caused by social media<ref>{{cite web |last=Nishikawa |title=The Rise and Toxicity of Gym Bro Culture: Fitness, Masculinity, and Social Media in 2024 |url=https://www.nssmag.com/en/lifestyle/37736/gym-bro-culture-toxicity |website=NSS Magazine |date=2024 |access-date=December 4, 2025 |language=en}}</ref> and the goal of achieving physiques often unattainable without the use of performance enhancing drugs, which promotes unrealistic expectations for less experienced people.{{citation_needed|date=March 2026}}
== Criticism and news media portrayal == Since 2013, the term has been adopted by feminists and the media to refer to a misogynist culture within an organization or community. In a ''New York Magazine'' article in September 2013, Ann Friedman wrote: "''Bro'' once meant something specific: a self-absorbed young white guy in board shorts with a taste for cheap beer. But it’s become a shorthand for the sort of privileged ignorance that thrives in groups dominated by wealthy, white, straight men."<ref>[https://www.thecut.com/2013/09/how-do-you-change-a-bro-dominated-culture.html How Do You Change a Bro-Dominated Culture?] Ann Friedman, ''New York'', September 12, 2013</ref> ''Vox'' referred to Silicon Valley's "bro culture problem" in its review of Emily Chang's book ''Brotopia''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2018/2/5/16972096/emily-chang-brotopia-book-bloomberg-technology-culture-silicon-valley-kara-swisher-decode-podcast|title=Why Silicon Valley has a bro culture problem – and how to fix it|last=Johnson|first=Eric|date=2018-02-05|website=Vox|access-date=2019-07-24}}</ref> In 2014 and 2017, ''Inc'' published articles on bro culture in business.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Raymundo |first1=Oscar |title=The 5 Bro-iest Tech Companies to Work For |url=https://www.inc.com/oscar-raymundo/bro-culture-at-companies.html |website=Inc.com |language=en |date=25 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=O'Donnell |first1=J. T. |title=3 Signs a Company's 'Bro Culture' Is Killing the Business |url=https://www.inc.com/jt-odonnell/3-signs-a-companys-bro-culture-is-killing-the-busi.html |website=Inc.com |language=en |date=14 August 2017}}</ref>
In its coverage of the 2019 Telegramgate scandal, in which investigative journalists published text messages written by the governor of Puerto Rico, ''The New York Times'' referred to "an arrogant 'bro' culture of elites who joked about making chumps out of even their own supporters."<ref name="nytimes 20190722">{{cite web | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/22/us/puerto-rico-protests-politics.html | title='The People Can't Take It Anymore': Puerto Rico Erupts in a Day of Protests | first1 = Frances | last1 = Robles | first2 =Alejandra | last2= Rosa | date = July 22, 2019 | access-date = July 22, 2019 | work = The New York Times}}</ref>
The term Bernie Bro, an epithet directed at supporters of Bernie Sanders has been criticized as a reductive smear tactic used by political opponents.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theintercept.com/2016/01/31/the-bernie-bros-narrative-a-cheap-false-campaign-tactic-masquerading-as-journalism-and-social-activism/|title=The "Bernie Bros" Narrative: a Cheap Campaign Tactic Masquerading as Journalism and Social Activism|first=Glenn|last=Greenwald|date=January 31, 2016|website=The Intercept}}</ref> The term was widely used because the concept of "bro" itself was vague.{{citation_needed|date=March 2026}}
==See also== {{Portal|Society|Sports}} * Bro-country * Bromance * Dude * Fratire * Lad culture
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Commons category-inline|Bro culture}}
{{Masculinism}}
Category:Adolescence Category:Drinking culture Category:Homosociality Category:Interpersonal relationships Category:Masculinity Category:Men in the United States Category:Men's culture Category:Pejorative terms for people Category:Slang terms for men Category:Social groups Category:Stereotypes of white Americans Category:Stereotypes of white men Category:Subcultures in the United States Category:Youth culture in the United States Category:Fraternity and sorority culture