Bling-bling

{{Short description|Flashy, ostentatious or elaborate jewelry and ornamented accessories}} {{other uses|Bling Bling (disambiguation)}} {{Redirect|Bling|the Marvel Comics character|Bling (comics)|the animated singer|VBirds}} {{weasel|date=October 2020}} thumb|right|300px|Bling-bling jewelry

'''Bling-bling''', often shortened to just '''bling''', is flashy jewelry and possessions displayed prominently to indicate wealth. The term arose in African American English before becoming general slang, ultimately growing into a cultural mainstay. Prominent examples of bling-bling include a large cross necklace or Jesus piece.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Oh |first1=Minya |last2=Mao |first2=Andrea Duncan |title=Bling Bling: Hip Hop's Crown Jewels |date=10 August 2005 |publisher=Wenner Books |isbn=978-1-932958-02-7 |language=en}}</ref>

==Origins and popularization of the term== In linguistics terms, ''bling'' is either an ideophone or an onomatopoeia, depending on the definition one uses, with ''bling-bling'' being its reduplication. Some have attributed the term to rappers that came before B.G., or to the old cartoonish sound effects meant to convey the desirability and or shininess of gold, gems, jewels, money, and more.<ref>Renee Tawa (July 9, 2003). [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jul-09-et-tawa9-story.html {{"'}}Bling-bling' in the Oxford dictionary? That's phat"]. ''Los Angeles Times''.</ref>

[[File: Bling-Bling Skywriting David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|Use of the phrase has grown in popularity, as demonstrated by this skywriting advertisement over a summer resort destination in Southampton, New York, in 2006.]]

Bling became increasingly entrenched within the hip hop movement following B.G.'s release of his lead single "Bling Bling" off of his 1999 album ''Chopper City in the Ghetto''.<ref>DONOVAN BARNETT (2023). [https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/hip-hop-jewelry/ {{"'}}A Brief History of Bling: Hip-Hop Jewelry Through the Ages"]. ''HIGHSNOBIETY''.</ref>

===Mass usage=== The word was added to the ''Shorter Oxford English Dictionary'' in 2002, and to the Merriam Webster dictionary in 2006. Companies such as Sprint and Cadillac have used the word ''bling'' in their advertisements, for instance. On the other hand, in 2004, MTV released a satirical cartoon showing the term first being used by a rapper, followed by several progressively less "streetwise" characters, concluding with a middle-aged white woman describing her "bling" to her elderly mother.<ref>{{cite web|title=MTV: Bling Bling - Advertisement|url=http://creativity-online.com/work/mtv-bling-bling/10129|date=July 13, 2004 |website=MTV|publisher=Creativity Online|access-date=April 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=15 Most Expensive Gold Chains In Hip Hop |url=https://www.hatton-jewellers.com/blog/most-expensive-gold-chains-hip-hop |date=December 3, 2019 |website=Hatton Jewellers Blog|access-date=May 3, 2020}}</ref>

The term was subsequently used for anyone displaying a luxurious and ostentatious lifestyle.<ref>Jason Moyo (April 4, 2012). [https://mg.co.za/article/2012-04-04-preaching-the-gospel-of-bling/ "Preaching the gospel of bling"]. ''Mail & Guardian''. South Africa/</ref><ref>Kate Bowler (October 9, 2013). [https://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/09/believing-in-bling-meet-the-prosperity-preachers-of-l-a/ "Believers in bling: Behold, the prosperity 'Preachers of L.A.{{'"}}] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928132557/https://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/09/believing-in-bling-meet-the-prosperity-preachers-of-l-a/ |date=2020-09-28 }}. CNN.</ref><ref>[https://www.lindependant.fr/2020/05/14/de-choses-et-dautres-cachez-ce-bling-bling,8887552.php "De choses et d'autres - Cachez ce bling-bling!"]. ''L'Indépendant''. (May 14, 2020).</ref>

==In other languages== The term has spread to Spanish speaking countries around the world, with Latin hip-hop and reggaeton artists from places like Puerto Rico and Panama. The main nuance is that, in Spanish, it is often stylized and pronounced as "blin-blin".<ref>{{cite web|title=Blin blin|url=http://www.diccionariolibre.com/definition.php?word=blin+blin|publisher=Diccionario Libre|access-date=2011-08-15}}</ref> Furthermore, the Spanish word ''blinblineo'' also refers to bling and its style. Similarly, in French, "bling-bling" traditionally describes nouveau riche attitudes; such as "wearing expensive suits, stylish sunglasses and conspicuously large wristwatches" or anything that is ostentatious and can be considered of "poor taste".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Crumley|first=Bruce|date=2007-12-20|title=Sarkozy's 'Bling-Bling' Presidency|url=http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1697098,00.html|magazine=Time |access-date=2020-04-25}}</ref> In German, it is usually used as simply "Bling".{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}

==Criticism and response== The short film ''Bling: Consequences and Repercussions'' explains the troubled backstory of many of the diamonds jewelers often use to make the gaudy jewelry. Explicitly, the film takes issue with the fact that, occasionally, the diamonds were originally blood diamonds, that fuel wars, poverty, slavery, and killings across countries in Africa.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bling: Consequences and Repercussions|url=http://www.wghfilms.com/bling.htm|last=Edouard|first=Kareem|date=2009-03-02|publisher=WGHfilms.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302060744/http://www.wghfilms.com/bling.htm|archive-date=2009-03-02|access-date=2020-04-29}}</ref> Similarly, ''Bling: A Planet Rock'' (2007) documents and subsequently contrasts the flashy world of commercial hip-hop jewelry against the significant role diamonds play in the ten-year civil war in Sierra Leone.

From a different perspective, many people consider bling and its aesthetic as empowering, rather than literally and metaphorically likening the expensive chains to slavery.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Thompson|first=Krista|title=Shine|pages=51}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Thompson|first=Krista|title=Shine|pages=100}}</ref>

;General * Affluenza * Camp * Commodity fetishism * Conspicuous consumption * Status symbol

;International * Chav

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Hip-hop fashion Category:African-American culture Category:English-language slang Category:Jewellery Category:Reduplicants Category:1990s neologisms Category:2000s fashion Category:Hip-hop terminology