Many, especially those from the class of 2024, are likely familiar with the term “Syre girls.” But where did this phrase come from and what does it really mean?
The phrase Syre girls gained popularity among the class of 2024 in middle school. It was meant to describe a friend group that consisted of girls mostly from Syre. Many came to associate being a Syre girl with being rich, white, and popular.
Noah Alie, senior, had first heard of the Syre girls in middle school and agreed that the connotations that came with it made him hesitant to be friends with them. “I definitely looked at everyone in that group as clingy and cocky and flamboyant. I didn’t really talk to anybody in that group for this reason,” Alie said. This was a common idea shared among the grade. Senior Lola Guillory shared a similar view of the Syre girls. “When I think of Syre girls I think of rich, privileged white girls that all play the same sports and that all grew up together,” Guillory said.
The Syre girls themselves are not unfamiliar to the ways they were viewed by their classmates. Lulu Hoffman, senior, attended Highland Terrace yet she was still considered to be a Syre girl mostly through association. “When people think of Syre girls they think Richmond Beach and Innis Arden, wealthy, and we all had the lululemon bags and leggings and scrunchies,” Hoffman said. This set of beliefs was definitely consistent among the grade and quickly the phrase Syre girl gained a negative connotation.
Senior Reese Johnson, a former Syre attendee and a part of the Syre girl group, was also made aware of the concept in middle school but she didn’t understand where these views were coming from. “When I first was aware of it I didn’t really get it because we weren’t all rich and mean so I was just confused,” Johnson said.
While maybe inaccurate, the way Syre girls were viewed seems to come from the very tight knit and exclusive friend group it seemed to be. “I don’t think we were mean but it was definitely cliquey though,” Hoffman said.
The idea of the Syre girls lost prevalence as the group grew up and began to spread their social circles. “In junior year my ideas of ‘Syre girls’ completely changed as I had a class with one of them and she was the most humble person I had ever met,” Alie said. It seemed to be that the negative narrative that surrounded Syre girls was supported by their lack of connection with people outside of their circle.
The Syre girls were a middle school phenomenon that came from a generalized belief. The whole basis of being a Syre girl came from where they went to elementary school, which these girls have no control over. “At the end of the day, no matter where you went it doesn’t define you as a person, kids can’t choose where they go to elementary school but will I still judge you for it? Yes,” Guillory said.
Despite these challenges, the Syre girls themselves seemed to have remained largely unaffected by the beliefs held against them. “They hate us cause they ain’t us,” Hoffman said.
