You got that good ol’ rizz?

When Oxford Dictionary released its word of the year last week it was unexpected to say the least One netizen commented rather cheekily Whorsquos rizzponsible for this Many were hearing of the term for the first time and werenrsquot sure what to make of this ldquonew Gen Z blasphemyrdquo as this writerrsquos colleague puts it But rizz is more than just an abbreviation of the word charisma as we find outldquoRizz is a personality yoursquove inherited from cool people around you or celebrities you admirerdquo says Shakshi Bhimani a 24yearold HR professional ldquoItrsquos about knowing how to use sentences and communicate in a certain tone and mannerrdquoldquoItrsquos funny that rizz is the word of the year because if you go by the dictionary definition it is not really a wordrdquo says Ria Chopra 24 a writer wellversed in pop culture and internet trends ldquoRizz is just one of those words that got popularised online as slang and it took off on Twitter and TikTok first before making its way to common parlance The etymology is that itrsquos a short form of charismamdashshortened to rizz because itrsquos catchierrdquoRia Chopra and Shakshi BhimaniSo what is rizz Just plain olrsquo charisma a suave personality and the ability to be flirty and charming It emerged out of the fandom culture where fans label their favourite actors or superstars as rizzlers Chopra points out to Bollywood actor Shah Rukh whom she terms as a ldquorizz godrdquo ldquoA lot of idols whom we look up to in popular culture have rizz Shah Rukh Khan for example is THE Indian example of rizz Hersquos so charming and witty in his interviews and in the way he speaks to the interviewerrdquo Bhimani feels that Hrithik Roshan fits the personality type of a rizzler as well as 2000rsquos chocolateboy Shahid Kapoor None of them feel that any younger celebrity or influencer has rizzInterestingly the language experts at Oxford found out that the popularity of the word peaked in June 2023 after an interview of Tom Holland went viral Other contenders were prompt Swiftie and situationship In the interview Holland was asked about his rizz to which he replied ldquoI have no rizz whatsoever I have limited rizzrdquo Chopra says his lack of rizz is compensated by the fact that he was able to ldquobagrdquo a stunning woman like Zendaya much the same way that Pete Davidson dated a string of beautiful women like Ariana Grande Kaia Gerber and Kim KardarshianNotice how the examples given above have all referred to men with rizz Thatrsquos because rizz is in some ways the male equivalent of being a ldquobaddierdquo or the classic ldquoItgirlrdquo ldquoRemember those interviews of Aishwarya Rai on Oprah Winfreyrsquos and David Lettermanrsquos shows in the 90s Undeniable rizzrdquo Chopra says Bhimani on the other hand feels that women donrsquot need rizz to ldquoget the guyrdquo ldquoWomen usually have to be themselves and guys come flocking Theyrsquore also picky in terms of who they like which is why men feel the need to bolster their personalityrdquoRishabh Sadasivan Shahzeen Shivdasani and Ankit VengurlekarThis is especially true in the world of dating and relationships Here having the ability to play with words is of paramount importance especially on dating apps says Shahzeen Shivdasani a relationship expert ldquoPeople are so sick of lsquohey how are yoursquo conversations that breaking the ice with your words alone mattersrdquo She says that in younger Gen Z relationships rizz matters because itrsquos what draws 20somethings in ldquoRizzlers are interesting because they have a lot of sex appeal that draws you in while older people look at stability and maturityrdquoAccording to Ankit Vengurlekar a corporate trainer and personality coach the term manifests differently in Indian and Western contexts In the West itrsquos used mostly in the dating and relationships context while closer home itrsquos about selfconfidence Vengurlekar whorsquos coached hundreds of individuals says that India is a country of ldquoextremely underconfident selfdoubting individualsrdquo and so anyone with a good dose of confidence and selfesteem automatically is perceived as charismatic ldquoEveryone has that one avantgarde aunt or uncle who didnrsquot really follow the rules when it came to career or marriage and everyone secretly looks up to themrdquo That in a way is the Indian rizz in a society like ours overridden with the desire to follow rules be subservient and blend inldquoFundamentally whether it is in social settings at the workplace in friendship or dating the sexiest thing about a person is their selfconfidence That just opens up doors like nothing elserdquo he adds Rizz privileges then do exist and are more based on onersquos social skills and projection of confidence At the end of the day having rizz means you have the ability to charm your way into a friendship relationship or even a jobRishabh Sadasivan a fashion student says he has ldquoperformance rizzrdquo ldquoI perform with a dance group Axiom and thatrsquos a personality I use onstagerdquo the 20yearold says For him itrsquos not about looks but speaking skills that can get you what you wantCan rizz then be acquired Yes and no ldquoTherersquos no substitute for knowledge Unless yoursquore Orry in which case yoursquore social in a different wayrdquo Vengurlekar quips ldquoThe minute you show up among a group of people and you know more than them you start to evaluate yourself differentlyrdquo Knowledge of the world paired with performative speaking and presenting your physical personality well he explains is the way to build up a new rizzier version of yourselfThe other more intrinsic aspects however may be hard to emulate Itrsquos possible to have rizz and not be aware of it but not ape it Bhimani who says she doesnrsquot have rizz says itrsquos about onersquos personality expressed in a very organic way While Sadasivan has a more nuanced take he feels that if overexaggerated it becomes like a ldquopickmerdquo situation ldquoPeople try to rizz it but you can see theyrsquore pretendingrdquo When it comes to rizz faking it does not make it