Soyface

Soy face is a relatively new term that defines the strange, soundless face “beta males” make to show excitement.

It goes under many names; “soy boy face”, “nu-male smile”, “cuckface”, “soylent grin” and many more.

The facial expression is particularly often seen on young, white men who others consider submissive, feminine and “simpy”.

Some claim it’s the male equivalent of the “duck face”.

The term first showed up on 4chan, due to the already existing derogatory slang “soy boy”.

“Soy boys”, are men that in contrast to the hyper-masculine red-meat-eating males, prefer eating soy products, due to veganism or other ethical reasons. The “meat-eaters” consider these men weak for their beliefs and find joy in mocking them.

The facial expression was then associated with the “soy boys”, hence the “soy boy face”, or “soy face”.

“Soy face” and its synonyms only spread across the internet in the late 2010’s, driven by male-dominated social media platforms such as 4chan, 9GAG and Reddit.

The face is often associated with “Nu-Males”, men in their 20’s and 30’s that support feminism, treat women as equals and fight against social injustice. They gained the slang name due to being a threat to “alpha males”.

Hence, “soy face” was originally called “nu-male face”, and in 2017, Reddit user sexy_mofo1 uploaded a meme titled “‘Numale Mouth’: Why is that everyone that seems to be against us smiles like this in photos?”

The meme showed a drawn depiction of a man doing the “soy face”.

Later the same year, a “soy face” Wojak started circulating the internet, originally called the “Oh No, Not Again!” Wojak. It has the same faux surprise facial expression as the “soy face”.

• Mel Magazin – What Is ‘Soy Face’? Alt-Right Meme Is Real, and It’s Annoying
• Urban Dictionary – Soy Face