What is ‘rizz,’ and do you have it?

Mariana Fabian Opinion Editor

Not to be confused with the Rizz Ranch in Raleigh, “rizz” is a new popular term started by famous Twitch streamer and YouTube personality Kai Cenat. Rizz comes from the word “charisma” and is defined as your ability to flirt with someone you’re interested in.

According to Kami Kosenko, associate professor of communication, rizz started out as more of a communication phenomenon than a non-verbal or unspoken one.

“What [Cenat] was saying was that there are essentially better and worse ways of attracting a person,” Kosenko said. “I think people are likening it to the idea of having a spit game. It seems to have taken on a new life on TikTok, and the original creator of the term, so to speak, is not necessarily happy with how it’s evolved. Because it’s evolved to include things that are noncommunicative, [things] that are unspoken.”

As far as the unspoken signals of attraction or unspoken rizz, Kosenko said these rules are pretty consistent with the evolutionary psychologist and biologist views of attraction, which is largely governed by our need to procreate.

“It’s a very cis[gender] and heteronormative view of sexuality and attraction,” Kosenko said. “But, it’s built on the notion that we have this innate need to see our genetics carried on and passed on to the next generation. And so it reasons from there that what and who we’re attracted to is based almost on entirely unconscious factors that have to do with the relative fitness, genetically speaking, of the person that we might find ourselves attracted to.”

Kosenko said that a lot of flirting is done through nonverbal communication, especially through eye contact. She explained that eye contact should be at the Goldilocks level: not too much, but not too little. You don’t want to come off

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Sexuality wasn’t a main focal point in sex education for some LGBTQ students, as their identities weren’t addressed in class discussions about sex.

“Someone in my biology class for high school asked about intersex individuals,” Brandle said. “I will always remember the teacher saying, ‘I’m sorry, I legally cannot answer that question.’”

It’s important to allow everyone to ask questions and to be curious without judgment or restriction, since limiting sex education to a heteronormative as creepy, but if not enough, the person won’t recognize if you’re flirting. Positional cues are also a popular nonverbal way of communicating.

“By positional cues, I mean things where you’re positioning your body in such a way that it’s mirroring the body position of the other party,” Kosenko said. “That tends to lead to synchroni - perspective adds yet another layer of hardship for the LGBTQ community to overcome.

“If you don’t include those conversations about how sex is different, based on who you are and what your identity is, you’re really taking away an opportunity for those people to be safe,” Hennessy said.

Although safety has been one of the most frequently discussed topics in sex education, it’s important to recognize how birth control can affect women.

“Everyone’s like, ‘just take birth control,’ but they don’t talk about the implications that has on the people taking studying business administration, said rizz is all about how you approach someone you’re interested in and your confidence level.

“I think one thing about it is that some people can have [rizz] and just not know,” Velasco said. “Some people are somewhat flirtatious naturally. When they’re speaking to someone, they can inadvertently be rizzing them or another person up and not know that. I think for some people, it’s a very subconscious thing, and when other people actually do pursue someone. … They’ll tell their friends, ‘Watch me rizz this person up,’ and then they go for it.”

Velasco explained that when rizzing someone up, it’s important to be at your comfort level and theirs as well. He said as cliche as it may sound, a smile goes a long way as long as it’s maintaining that Goldilocks level. It’s important to be able to read body language when flirting as well.

“Be very observant and look for social cues, because it’s a big problem in college students,” Velasco said. “Consent is a pretty big thing. If the person’s feeling uncomfortable, if they’re not feeling your rizz, then just stop. … You need to make sure the person is actually feeling what you’re saying and not just like, listening to what you’re saying.”

If you’re worried about how much rizz you may or may not have, Kosenko has some advice for you.

GRAPHIC BY HEIDI REID

zation in body movements. So, if you see two people that seem to be getting on really well, we would tend to see them doing things that look like they’re in synchrony. They’re moving the same arm in the same manner, at the same time, crossing their legs or crossing their arms in the same way.”

Eric Romero Velasco, a fourth-year birth control,” said Jajhayra FoncecaRoque, a second-year studying political science.

Simply looking at the double-sided information leaflet that comes inside the packages of birth control pills reveals a huge list of potential side effects that women face when taking it. Discussing these side effects more often can help educate women who are unsure about taking it.

Sex is empowering

Sex is power. Knowledge about sex is power.

“If I have knowledge about my own sexuality, my own needs, my own wants, my own desires, I have the power to go

“I think the question about whether or not someone has rizz and then the W rizz, the L rizz and all that stuff — I think it could get out of hand and be another source of insecurity for people and sexual insecurity is very high,” Kosenko said. “There is someone out there for you if that’s what you want, and don’t get hung up on whether or not you’re able to attract a lot of people. Get hung up on whether or not you’re able to find that one person or if you’re polyamorous, those people, who are going to be good for you.” out and seize that opportunity,” Hennessy said. “And, you know, that means probably not relying on as many maledominated institutions anymore and not relying on interpersonal relationships that don’t fulfill our needs.”

Teaching comprehensive and accurate sex education can help individuals become sexually empowered, provide them the knowledge to make healthy informed decisions and respect their needs and desires.

Ultimately, what students wish for is a safe environment in which conversations about sex and sexuality start happening — not only in classrooms, but in everyday life, taking every individual into account.