Recently, the term “squad” has been trending. It's common to walk down the street and hear people referring to their friend groups as their “squad”. Living on a college campus, I began to hear this term more and more. I could not walk through the cafeteria without hearing “Come on, squad, let's go!” Every time I went to class, people seemed to be referring to their group of friends as their “squad."

I'll admit that, at first, this term did not faze me. It became so commonplace to hear that I did not stop to think about it. It didn’t occur to me that this phrase had the potential to be harmful. However, upon further consideration, I realized that “squads” could be more harmful than I had initially thought. After months and months of hearing the term, I finally began to process it. “What even is a 'squad'?” I thought to myself. It technically means a group of close friends, but was that all? Why was that a nicer word than “clique”? It all seemed so exclusive. For months, I got a bad taste in my mouth whenever someone mentioned the word “squad,” but I was not sure why.

As I thought about this more and more, it dawned on me. It seemed to be more about an exclusive group of cool people and less about a large group of friends. Perhaps the negative connotations associated with the word "squad" are what makes it so harmful. A group that calls itself a “squad” seems to imply that they are a group of people who spend time together and do not readily allow others into their group. In other words, it is a clique. Quite honestly, I find the whole thing a little unnerving. It enables people to state who is in their exclusive group of friends without using the word “clique.” Personally, I'm reminded of high school and the neverending reign of cliquey girls. It reminds me of groups of people who were hesitant to be friends with everyone. Now, I'm not saying that tight-knit groups of friends are bad. I don't believe that we shouldn't have groups of people whom we trust and are close with. However, labeling them as “squads” implies that they are exclusive and cliquey.

If you're part of a friend group that calls itself a “squad,” I am not writing this to shame you. I don't think people are bad for referring to their friend groups as their “squad,” nor am I pointing a finger at anyone in particular. Many people, like me, just don't think about it. Big groups of friends are important to have; however, making them exclusive is what makes them so negative.