The TikTok influencer who had previously boasted of indicating his preferred pronouns with colour-coded bracelets has now decided to level up by adopting neopronouns, stating this is how he can best identify himself.

Alternative personal pronouns are created by abbreviating nouns so that individuals who use them can refer to themselves as anything, an animal or an object and can even invent new genders.

Zey’re completely out of zeir mind pic.twitter.com/daBeRtbuL2

— Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) June 29, 2021

Alternativ pronouns are not a novelty. Last year, 27 newly created pronouns, among other options, were used in the Women Lead project, which was jointly conducted by the Georgia State University and J Mack Robinson College.

An earlier article in The New York Times about new pronouns and their use revealed that it is now widespread to use the pronouns „they„ and „them„ when referring to a single person, Moreover, alternative pronouns can also refer to fantasy characters and people can identify as a kitten, a bun, a zombie or a princess.

In a survey of forty thousand sexual minority under 25’s, the not-for-profit Trevor Project which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth, found that a quarter of the respondents identified themselves with gender-neutral pronouns, but most of them still prefer he, she or they.

Average Twitter users have mixed views on the new pronouns and their usage.

„I shall now refer to myself as squi/squirlly/squirrelself,” one commenter wrote.

„OK, this article made my head hurt,” another user said. „I respect pronouns usage. But this just seems like people taking it to far. We are not little kids who are making up names.” another Twitter user added.

Some responded that from now on they were going to identify themselves as „Apache attack helicopter„ or „apatcopter„. „Discrimination at its finest if they don’t [accept] my identity as apatcopter.”