If you’re an anime fan in any capacity, then chances are you’ve probably heard/seen the word “weeb” come across your timeline at least once. A shortened form of the full term “weeaboo,” Dictionary.com defines a weeb as “a mostly derogatory slang term for a Western person who is obsessed with Japanese culture, especially anime, often regarding it as superior to all other cultures.” Urban Dictionary has an even less than flattering view on what a weeb is, with one popular definition stating it as “someone who loves anime and/or manga, and probably a virgin.”

But while textbook definitions seem to make the word out to be derogatory and undesirable, if you traffic in anime fandom spaces online, then you’ll probably notice that some folks lovingly and proudly refer to themselves and each other as weebs, which begs the question: is it really that bad of a word, especially for those who are so entrenched in the ways of anime?

With the currently ongoing (and meteoric!) mainstream rise in popularity of anime, we couldn’t help but wonder that question ourselves, so while Gold Envelope was attending and covering this year’s edition of Anime Expo (North America’s largest and most iconic anime-themed convention), we got down to the nitty-gritty and asked convention goers (who were showing off their cosplay) their opinions on the word, and the responses we got really illuminated things for us!

“I think it’s a great word,” cosplayer and anime fan @BrolicPump told Gold Envelope. “It used to be bad, but weebs made it their own, it kind of shows off the culture, and I love it. I love being a weeb.”

“I think it has somewhat of a negative connotation, but I think nowadays people kind of embrace it,” cosplayer Ryan Baudry chimed in. “I call myself a weeb, and I’m okay with it, so I think it’s getting better. I’m the king weeb, for sure.”

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