What Is “Rizz” And Why Is It Wooing Women Everywhere?
Have you ever met someone you aren’t physically attracted to, but then over time, their charm overpowers their looks, and suddenly you find them desirable? Well, because Gen Z is Gen Z, they’ve developed a new term to describe what suddenly makes these men so appealing – rizz.
The term rizz, according to Urban Dictionary, derives from the word charisma and is “the quality of attracting women without even trying and being the type of man that everyone knows has the suavest personality and charm in the room.” It’s a trendy new slang word often used on TikTok to describe a man who uses charm over physical appearance to woo a woman. Rizz is both something you can have and do.
Although it seems like a catch-all phrase, rizz has different meanings depending on the man in question. For example, there is “W rizz,” or winning rizz, which is having a good kind of charisma, and then there is “L rizz,” or losing rizz, which is when a man’s personality repels people.
Shumi Brody, a TikToker, posted a video explaining that rizz also refers to “having game,” which is the equivalent of being a good flirt or having to put minimal effort into attracting a woman’s attention.
“W rizz” can also refer to different, and somewhat cheesy, pickup lines, such as the examples posted by @praiize on TikTok. “Are you asthma, bcus you take my breath away (asthma rizz),” reads one.
While the term has nearly 23 million impressions on TikTok, it was first popularized by Kai Cenat, a Twitch streamer and YouTube creator who often uses rizz to describe “his skills to impress women.”
Examples of Having Rizz
In essence, having rizz means having a good personality. As dating columnist Jana Hocking points out, actors like Adrian Brody, Adam Driver, Javier Bardem, Russell Brand, and Pete Davidson are not the most physically attractive men in the world, yet they have all landed extremely beautiful partners.
Pete Davidson, most notably, boasts a long list of high-profile lovers, including Ariana Grande, Kate Beckinsale, Kaia Gerber, Emily Ratajkowski, and Kim Kardashian. And while he is a famous actor, many question how an average-looking guy like him could have dated so many women who are much more attractive than he is.
According to Amber Kelleher-Andrews, a dating and relationship expert, celebrity matchmaker, and CEO of Kelleher International, he is intelligent, funny, vulnerable, has puppy-dog eyes, and a strong stature, all characteristics of someone who has rizz.
Tom Holland has also reportedly gone viral for winning over Zendaya despite saying he has “limited rizz.” In a TikTok posted by pop culture news commentator King Asante, Tom Holland explains to an interviewer he has limited rizz but thinks playing romantic leads in Spiderman helped blur the lines for them to fall in love in real life.
“You’ve got to have some type of rizz to pull Zendaya,” responded Astane, “like, be for real.”
Why Is Rizz Wooing Women Everywhere?
Having rizz is nothing new. Women have fallen for men’s charm and confidence over their appearance for ages. But in a world where everyone has seemingly unachievable expectations, the real reason rizz is wooing women is because it’s catching them off guard.
Hocking described her first experience with rizz: "There was the skinny, lanky guy at a new job I rocked up to. He was giving stick insect vibes, and I didn’t really pay him much attention. That was until our first production meeting, when he started getting really passionate about the project we were working on. He was confidently throwing ideas left, right, and center. Dominating the conversation in a good way. Giving me props for my ideas and basically being a total boss. I couldn’t get enough of it.”
While the dating world can be tricky to navigate, Hocking encourages single people to inject some rizz into their dating game by turning on the charm and going up to someone who grabs their attention.
"Woo them with your broad smile, confident demeanor, and ballsy bravado. And heck, if you’re not feeling all those things, simply fake it till you make it,” she says. "You may very well surprise yourself. It certainly worked for Pete Davidson."
Closing Thoughts
Gen Z often gets a lot of flack from older generations, but their ability to create trendy catch-all terms that perfectly summarize a feeling is impressive. And although using wit and charm to grab a crush's attention is not a new phenomenon, letting rizz fuel your dating endeavors could be more beneficial than expected!
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