{"id":3683,"date":"2016-06-08T06:57:58","date_gmt":"2016-06-08T01:27:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683"},"modified":"2016-06-08T06:57:58","modified_gmt":"2016-06-08T01:27:58","slug":"15-years-after-britney-sang-about-it-why-toxic-is-oxfords-word-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=3683","title":{"rendered":"15 Years After Britney Sang About It, Why \u201cToxic\u201d is Oxford\u2019s Word of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

T<\/span><\/p><\/div>

he year 2003 was a full of new millennium milestones that reminded us we were definitely not in the halcyon \u201990s anymore. The start of the Iraq War would go on to influence global geopolitics long after the 2000s were over, and PM Vajpayee\u2019s <\/span>tenure<\/span><\/a> was perhaps the last thing that Indians ever agreed on. Above all, 2003 was the momentous year that our childhood Princess of Pop, Britney Spears, broke out of her cutesy \u201cOops!\u201d mould, hitting us with an unforgettable single: \u201cToxic\u201d. Featuring Spears writhing around in a sheer diamond-studded bodysuit, and the <\/span>string<\/span><\/a> arrangement from \u201cTere Mere Beech Mein,\u201d the song is a sexually charged, bass-thumping ode to a toxic relationship with a guy that she just can\u2019t resist. <\/span>\n\nNo wonder it became an instant classic worldwide, and would define the word \u201ctoxic\u201d for the next 15 years. But, sadly, Ms Spears hasn\u2019t been <\/span>relevant<\/span><\/a> for a few years now. What is relevant, is the Oxford English Dictionary, which has made \u201ctoxic\u201d 2018\u2019s Word of the Year.<\/span>\n\nIt\u2019s only fair that everyone\u2019s second favourite dictionary (after Merriam-Webster\u2019s Twitter account, obvs) would step up to challenge Spears. In this year of #MeToo, the OED <\/span>claims<\/span><\/a> that, after \u201ctoxic chemical\u201d, their Word of the Year is most commonly paired with \u201cmasculinity\u201d. Other popular pairings this year include \u201crelationship\u201d, \u201cenvironment\u201d, and \u201cculture\u201d \u2013 all of which have been frequently brought up as women recount their #MeToo stories. Last month, <\/span>Google<\/span><\/a> employees staged a mass global walkout in protest of the company\u2019s toxic work environment. And the concept of toxic masculinity is gaining currency with men who don\u2019t fit traditional macho stereotypes.<\/span>\n\nOED also mentions that the prevalence of the word is important in a more literal sense: from the use of nerve gas to poison a Russian intelligence agent in Britain, to the growing problems of <\/span>polluted<\/span><\/a> air and water, 2018 has been toxic indeed. Still, this same concept of tangible toxicity is not divorced from the definitions that accompany workplace <\/span>harassment<\/span><\/a> and sexism, with the OED pointing out the impact of everyday toxicity on mental health. <\/span>\n\nOf course, toxicity is not a new phenomenon, but the Word of the Year shows how far our lexicon has evolved in expressing it, and perhaps how much harder it has become to escape it. It is also indicative of the year that we have just experienced. In the last week alone, activist Shehla Rashid and entertainer Lilly Singh have both followed in the footsteps of dozens of public figures, especially women, who have taken a hiatus from social media due to its <\/span>toxic<\/span><\/a> influence in their lives. <\/span>\n\nIt\u2019s not a coincidence that one of the runners-up for Word of the Year was \u201cincel\u201d \u2013 a Canadian portmanteau of \u201cinvoluntary celibate\u201d, used for an often <\/span>violent<\/span><\/a> ideology where men believe they deserve a girlfriend or wife, but are unable to find one. The other was \u201cgaslighting\u201d. The latter phrase comes from a 1938 play, <\/span>Gaslight<\/span><\/i>, in which a husband, to cover up his own crimes, dims the gaslights in the house, then refuses to admit to his wife that the light has become dimmer. By persistently denying reality, he convinces his wife that she is going mad \u2013 a sensation that will be familiar to anyone who has ever tried to watch Republic TV. Both \u201cgaslighting\u201d and \u201c<\/span>incel<\/span><\/a>\u201d remain heavily gendered terms, describing toxic and sexist practices, and can be read in conjunction with OED\u2019s Word of the Year. <\/span>\n\nSo how did we come so far from Spears\u2019 <\/span>relatable<\/span><\/a> rendition of a thrilling relationship with a guy who\u2019s no good for her? <\/span>\n\n

Of course, toxicity is not a new phenomenon, but the Word of the Year shows how far our lexicon has evolved in expressing it, and perhaps how much harder it has become to escape it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\nMaybe we didn\u2019t. In Spears\u2019 \u201cToxic\u201d video, she is dressed as a sultry flight <\/span>attendant<\/span><\/a> servicing a plane full of middle-aged businessmen, and pulls one of them into the tiny lavatory for a steamy makeout session, just to steal an access card from him. It\u2019s a clever subversion of the flight attendant fantasy, and sets Spears up to live out a spy thriller that culminates in her poisoning her cheating boyfriend. Combined with the lyrics, which chronicle her descent into sexual and emotional dependency \u2013 and were speculated to be about ex Justin Timberlake \u2013 \u201cToxic\u201d is a lot darker than its frothy tones make it seem. <\/span>\n\nFifteen years ago, the idea of a toxic relationship could easily be turned into a catchy pop song, but in our woke modern times, it requires a deeply emotive, poetry-laden anthology \u00e0 la <\/span>Lemonade<\/span><\/i>. But Spears\u2019 journey from a woman who is jonesing for another toxic hit, to one who finally gains control, is \u2013 if anything \u2013 even more resonant in the era of <\/span>#MeToo<\/span><\/a>, when we\u2019ve become familiar with so many stories that mirror her song. The only difference is that now, thanks to the movement, a toxic guy like that actually does wear a warning.<\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fifteen years ago, Britney Spears made a frothy pop song about a toxic relationship. Today, in the era of #MeToo, the word has a very different connotation. It was so much in vogue over the last year that Oxford English Dictionary anointed it 2018\u2019s Word of the Year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":208,"featured_media":3684,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[2588,363,2593,1912,2918,6899,6900,6901,6902,2018,2003,4697,6903,6904,6905,6906],"class_list":["post-3683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop-culture","tag-metoo","tag-britney-spears","tag-harassment","tag-millennial","tag-nostalgia","tag-oed","tag-oxford","tag-oxford-english-dictionary","tag-princess-of-pop","tag-shehenshah","tag-stuttering","tag-toxic","tag-toxic-culture","tag-toxic-environment","tag-toxic-workplace","tag-word-of-the-year"],"yoast_head":"\n15 Years After Britney Sang About It, Why \u201cToxic\u201d is Oxford\u2019s Word of the Year<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Fifteen years ago, Britney Spears made a frothy pop song about a toxic relationship. Today, in the era of #MeToo, the word has a very different connotation. It was so much in vogue over the last year that Oxford English Dictionary anointed it 2018\u2019s Word of the Year.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"15 Years After Britney Sang About It, Why \u201cToxic\u201d is Oxford\u2019s Word of the Year\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fifteen years ago, Britney Spears made a frothy pop song about a toxic relationship. Today, in the era of #MeToo, the word has a very different connotation. It was so much in vogue over the last year that Oxford English Dictionary anointed it 2018\u2019s Word of the Year.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arr\u00e9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-06-08T01:27:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1542723187.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1520\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"850\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kahini Iyer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"15 Years After Britney Sang About It, Why \u201cToxic\u201d is Oxford\u2019s Word of the Year\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Fifteen years ago, Britney Spears made a frothy pop song about a toxic relationship. Today, in the era of #MeToo, the word has a very different connotation. It was so much in vogue over the last year that Oxford English Dictionary anointed it 2018\u2019s Word of the Year.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kahini Iyer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3683#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3683\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kahini Iyer\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/dfa7873b3da2fc04ce9c2175364ca0e1\"},\"headline\":\"15 Years After Britney Sang About It, Why \u201cToxic\u201d is Oxford\u2019s Word of the Year\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-06-08T01:27:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3683\"},\"wordCount\":856,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3683#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1542723187.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"#MeToo\",\"britney spears\",\"harassment\",\"millennial\",\"Nostalgia\",\"oed\",\"oxford\",\"oxford english dictionary\",\"princess of pop\",\"Shehenshah\",\"Stuttering\",\"toxic\",\"toxic culture\",\"toxic environment\",\"toxic workplace\",\"word of the year\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Pop Culture\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3683\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3683\",\"name\":\"15 Years After Britney Sang About It, Why \u201cToxic\u201d is Oxford\u2019s Word of the Year\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3683#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3683#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1542723187.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-06-08T01:27:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/dfa7873b3da2fc04ce9c2175364ca0e1\"},\"description\":\"Fifteen years ago, Britney Spears made a frothy pop song about a toxic relationship. Today, in the era of #MeToo, the word has a very different connotation. It was so much in vogue over the last year that Oxford English Dictionary anointed it 2018\u2019s Word of the Year.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3683#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3683\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3683#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1542723187.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1542723187.jpg\",\"width\":1520,\"height\":850},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=3683#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"15 Years After Britney Sang About It, Why \u201cToxic\u201d is Oxford\u2019s Word of the Year\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/\",\"name\":\"Arr\u00e9\",\"description\":\"In every person lies a creator and in every creator, an enterprise.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/dfa7873b3da2fc04ce9c2175364ca0e1\",\"name\":\"Kahini Iyer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/28f0aaa78fb3c2e6f74a6b9942c215b9e05c4f129048918912e608a6e3d60946?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/28f0aaa78fb3c2e6f74a6b9942c215b9e05c4f129048918912e608a6e3d60946?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/28f0aaa78fb3c2e6f74a6b9942c215b9e05c4f129048918912e608a6e3d60946?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kahini Iyer\"},\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?author=208\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"15 Years After Britney Sang About It, Why \u201cToxic\u201d is Oxford\u2019s Word of the Year","description":"Fifteen years ago, Britney Spears made a frothy pop song about a toxic relationship. Today, in the era of #MeToo, the word has a very different connotation. It was so much in vogue over the last year that Oxford English Dictionary anointed it 2018\u2019s Word of the Year.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"15 Years After Britney Sang About It, Why \u201cToxic\u201d is Oxford\u2019s Word of the Year","og_description":"Fifteen years ago, Britney Spears made a frothy pop song about a toxic relationship. Today, in the era of #MeToo, the word has a very different connotation. It was so much in vogue over the last year that Oxford English Dictionary anointed it 2018\u2019s Word of the Year.","og_url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683","og_site_name":"Arr\u00e9","article_published_time":"2016-06-08T01:27:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1520,"height":850,"url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1542723187.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Kahini Iyer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"15 Years After Britney Sang About It, Why \u201cToxic\u201d is Oxford\u2019s Word of the Year","twitter_description":"Fifteen years ago, Britney Spears made a frothy pop song about a toxic relationship. Today, in the era of #MeToo, the word has a very different connotation. It was so much in vogue over the last year that Oxford English Dictionary anointed it 2018\u2019s Word of the Year.","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kahini Iyer","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683"},"author":{"name":"Kahini Iyer","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#\/schema\/person\/dfa7873b3da2fc04ce9c2175364ca0e1"},"headline":"15 Years After Britney Sang About It, Why \u201cToxic\u201d is Oxford\u2019s Word of the Year","datePublished":"2016-06-08T01:27:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683"},"wordCount":856,"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1542723187.jpg","keywords":["#MeToo","britney spears","harassment","millennial","Nostalgia","oed","oxford","oxford english dictionary","princess of pop","Shehenshah","Stuttering","toxic","toxic culture","toxic environment","toxic workplace","word of the year"],"articleSection":["Pop Culture"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683","url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683","name":"15 Years After Britney Sang About It, Why \u201cToxic\u201d is Oxford\u2019s Word of the Year","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1542723187.jpg","datePublished":"2016-06-08T01:27:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#\/schema\/person\/dfa7873b3da2fc04ce9c2175364ca0e1"},"description":"Fifteen years ago, Britney Spears made a frothy pop song about a toxic relationship. Today, in the era of #MeToo, the word has a very different connotation. It was so much in vogue over the last year that Oxford English Dictionary anointed it 2018\u2019s Word of the Year.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1542723187.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1542723187.jpg","width":1520,"height":850},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3683#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"15 Years After Britney Sang About It, Why \u201cToxic\u201d is Oxford\u2019s Word of the Year"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#website","url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/","name":"Arr\u00e9","description":"In every person lies a creator and in every creator, an enterprise.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#\/schema\/person\/dfa7873b3da2fc04ce9c2175364ca0e1","name":"Kahini Iyer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28f0aaa78fb3c2e6f74a6b9942c215b9e05c4f129048918912e608a6e3d60946?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28f0aaa78fb3c2e6f74a6b9942c215b9e05c4f129048918912e608a6e3d60946?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28f0aaa78fb3c2e6f74a6b9942c215b9e05c4f129048918912e608a6e3d60946?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kahini Iyer"},"url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?author=208"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1542723187.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/208"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}