It took longer than I care to admit for me to realize that “bae” stood for “before anyone else” and was not simply a shorter version of “babe”. The term “bae” has become so mainstream that it can be used to refer to almost anything that someone has a particular affection for.
That chocolate bar? Bae.
My new jacket? Bae.
That cute guy who served you at Starbucks? Bae.
But “bae” is mostly used to refer to one’s girlfriend or boyfriend. I have a boyfriend whom I have many names for, and who has many names for me, but neither of us has hopped on the “bae” train. After hearing it used so much by other people, I just find it annoyingly popular.
What happened to the classic way to address the one you love? How about “honey”, “sweetie”, or “my love”? I’d rather be called “babe” than “bae” any day.
It’s normal for new phrases like “bae” to magically become popular. It’s also normal for some to embrace it and others to despise it. I happen to fall in the latter category. And I’m not ashamed to say that maybe it’s the hopeless romantic in me that’s happy to be someone’s “love” instead of someone’s “bae”.