Every day new slang appears, and just as quickly it becomes irrelevant. Currently, “rizz” is considered old news, and “felixing” is taking its place. You have probably seen the term “felixing” if you have recently been on TikTok or Instagram, but you might be wondering what it means, and why it is trending.
While most slang comes out and disappears quickly, “felixing” has been established over a period of time so it is a little different. Before it becomes established it needs to collect a variety of meanings. Depending on the person, or place, the meaning of the term “felixing” will change. Understanding the term will require you to break apart the meaning from the entirety.
What Does Felixing Mean?
The term “felixing” has collected two meanings. “felixing” is defined as:
1. The Authenticity Flex
In the most used examples of the term “felixing” is considered the opposite of normal “flexing.” Regular “flexing” is seen as side shows of wealthy people meant to inspire jealousy or feelings of inadequacy and belittlement. “Felixing,” however, is the antithesis of that. It shows personal development, and, in some cases, draws on real struggles and accomplishments of the individual. It’s meant to celebrate their own personal journey and showcase authentic growth. When a person posts something that shows them having struggles or failures before finally succeeding, such as posts about learning to code or sharing about their mental health, they are “felixing,” not “flexing.”
2. The Adjustment Approach
Another perspective explains felixing as making improvements to things in a practical way that also incorporates some degree of flexibility. It’s about making adjustments, improvements, and optimizations without making things too complicated. Adjusting your daily schedule, refining a creative endeavor, or making little tweaks to your workflow to give it a boost are all examples of felixing. It’s less about achieving perfection, and more about customizing it to your current needs.
Both meanings capture an essence of authenticity, flexibility, and improvement over time in preference to perfectionism.
Why Felixing Resonates with Gen Z and Gen Alpha
Younger generations are fatigued by the images of perfection. After countless TikToks and Instagram posts that are overly edited, people are starting to appreciate the real deal more. This shift is what felixing (in both senses) is tapping into.
Transparency is important to Gen Z and Gen Alpha. They are not only looking for the end result, they want to see the process, and even the messy elements in between. Vulnerability is favored over vanity by this generation. They also embrace flexibility and adaptability. They understand that life is not a straight line and that they are quite comfortable making adjustments as they go along.
Felixing embodies all of this. It’s not about having it all figured out or looking to be perfect. It’s about being yourself, being honest about what you know, and being flexible about making changes when they are necessary.
Using Felixing in the Right Context
As with any fresh slang, the context in which you use felixing matters. Consider the following examples for digital conversations:
For Genuine Sharing:
- “Just posted my coding journey—definitely felixing, not flexing”
- “Love seeing people felixing about their mental health progress”
- “That’s pure felixing energy—real talk about the struggle”
For Adaptable Improvements:
- “Spent the morning felixing my workspace setup”
- “I’ve been felixing my morning routine and it’s actually helping”
- “Time to felix this project instead of starting over”
You may also notice that the word functions as both a noun and a verb, much like ‘flex’ and ‘flexing.’ You can do any of the following: Felix something (make changes), be felixing (authentically sharing) or call out felixing in others.
Where It Fits in Social Media
Though the term is still developing, you will most likely find it in:
Vulnerability content: Many creators sharing learning-before-and-after photos along with setbacks embrace the felixing mindset, even if that isn’t the exact term they use.
Creation of Value: Posts documenting the process and celebrating small victories (disregarding the large ones) are in alignment with the felixing culture.
Anti Perfectionism: Content against societally accepted refined aesthetics and the “good enough” approach is a manifestation of felixing.
The term itself may gain more traction as people search for terms that signify movement from conventional flex culture.
The Importance of Keeping abreast of Internet Slang
The way we relate is influenced by language. Slang that is current aids your ability to communicate clearly, particularly in spaces where digital tones and contexts can be easily ignored or misinterpreted.
The ability to identify terms like felixing enables genuine contribution to digital discourse. Additionally, it informs you of societal changes and the things that younger generations prioritize. From the perspective of a content producer, teacher, or marketer, or anyone who wants to be aware of cultural literacy, language that continues to change is important.
New slang often points to a more fundamental shift in our thinking. The word felixing captures a rising shift towards more honest, expressive, and flexible forms of online self-presentation.
Be On the Lookout
Internet slang will change, there is no doubt about it. By the time you learn the ins and outs of felixing, a new term will be trending, and that is the digital world we live it. The most important thing is not to memorize new terms, but instead to focus on the processes around you, engage with the community, and be open to inspiration. Regardless of whether “felixing” becomes popular slang or eventually dies out on the internet, the reason for its emergence gives you a clue about the direction of digital culture.
Next time you see someone posting about their progress or making thoughtful changes to their work, you’ll know what they’re doing— they’re “felixing” and now you know too.
