Before we get into it, I'd like to formally apologise for the hectic headline of this piece, I hope it didn’t startle you.
If you've been spending your time on TikTok, or like me, doom-scrolling for three hours every night, you might have seen some interesting videos of men on flights. These men are rawdogging, or if you prefer... bare backing flights.
The word "rawdogging" originally meant having sex without protection. It has now been co-opted to describe someone who does anything at all without tools or forms of preparation and it’s mostly men who do this.
Listen to this episode of The Quicky, that unpacks the strange new trend of rawdogging flights. Post continues below.
For example, I would refer to some of the men at my office as people who rawdog work. These men just walk into work with only their keys and wallet in their pockets and nothing else. No bag, no emotional support water bottle, no computer, not even a jacket — they’re rawdogging their 9 to 5.
On TikTok, there are hundreds of videos posted by men, sharing footage of themselves on long-haul flights doing absolutely nothing but staring into the abyss. The only form of entertainment they choose is the flight path map.
@oiwudini 🧘🏻♂️ #fyp ♬ The Only Thing They Fear Is You - De8ed
In the comments are mostly women expressing shock and confusion and sharing how they could never do that.
Women are most likely to indulge themselves in flights with "little treats" like podcasts, music, movies and books. They might do some work, they might plan out their to-do list, they might have a little nap. They won’t however, just do nothing. They can't be alone with their own thoughts.
This isn’t me.
Don’t tell anyone but I’m with the men on this one… My name is Emily and I rawdog flights.
