Where it sits
Always positive. Dictionary.com notes the term is always used approvingly.
Tell it apart
| Aspect | Glow up | Makeover |
|---|---|---|
| Timescale | Months or years | Hours or days |
| Covers | Looks, confidence, maturity | Mainly appearance |
| Who does it | You | Often someone else |
A makeover is done to you, often in an afternoon. A glow up happens over time, and usually includes how you feel as well as how you look.
What it really means
Glow up names a transformation, and it's always a compliment. Someone has a glow up when they've changed for the better: in looks and style, and often in confidence and maturity too. Graduation photos next to first-year ones are the classic before and after.
The phrase is a play on "grow up", and it has a clear origin in hip-hop. Dictionary.com says it was popularised, and may have been originated, by the rapper Chief Keef, who used "glo up" for a positive improvement in a 2013 song. The spelling nods to his crew, Glo Gang. Tweets from November 2013, Dictionary.com notes, were already using "glow up" and crediting Keef.
From there it travelled. Wiktionary's earliest print citation is from 2017, and by the early 2020s glow-up posts with side-by-side before-and-after photos were common on TikTok and Twitter. It also stretched beyond people. A café can glow up; Wiktionary even cites a piece of technology that "has been glowed up".
What separates a glow up from a makeover is time. A makeover can happen in an afternoon, often done by someone else. A glow up is something you grow into, which is exactly the "grow up" joke inside the name.
Where it comes from
shine, radiate
as in "grow up"
Dictionary.com calls it a play on "grow up". Chief Keef's spelling, "glo up", nods to his crew, Glo Gang.
- 2013
Rapper Chief Keef uses "glo up" for a positive improvement in a 2013 song; Dictionary.com says he popularised and may have originated the term.
- November 2013
Tweets using "glow up" credit Chief Keef (Dictionary.com).
- 2017
Wiktionary's earliest print citation for the verb.
- Early 2020s
Widespread on TikTok and Twitter, especially with before-and-after photos (Dictionary.com).
In real life
- Text: "just saw your graduation photos next to your first-year ones. what a glow up"
- Text: "my plan for this year: a full glow up, starting with going to bed on time"
- Text: "the café near work had a glow up, it's actually nice now"
Questions
Q01What does glow up mean?
A positive transformation, usually in appearance and style, often in confidence and maturity too. "She had a real glow up" is a compliment.
Q02Who started glow up?
Dictionary.com says it was popularised, and may have been originated, by rapper Chief Keef, who used "glo up" in a 2013 song. The spelling referred to his crew, Glo Gang.
Q03Is glow up one word or two?
Both glow up and glow-up are used. Chief Keef's original was "glo up".
Q04Can a place or thing have a glow up?
Yes. A café, a website or a city square can glow up too. Wiktionary cites a 2019 example about a piece of technology that "has been glowed up".