the.com/thirst trap

A photo captioned 'sunset' that has nothing to do with the sunset.

means A deliberately alluring photo (or video) posted online with a flimsy innocent caption, designed to attract compliments, attention, or desire.

from A 21st-century social-media coinage — 'thirst' used slangily since the 1990s-2000s to mean sexual desire or craving attention, and 'trap' for the bait-and-snare device set to catch something. Put together, the phrase surfaced in online slang in the early 2010s as social platforms like Instagram and Tumblr made self-posted glamour shots common, and it was popularized through usage on sites like Urban Dictionary and mainstream entertainment press soon after.

origin
term popularized on black twitter circa 2013
bait math
low effort angle, maximum engagement ratio
peak timing
posted when an ex is most likely online
disguise
gym progress or book photo, abs incidental
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