DSL Is the Latest NSFW Acronym Trending on TikTok — What Does That Mean?

Social media is very good at creating and spreading acronyms around the internet, and many of those acronyms seem like total nonsense unless you already know what they mean. Fortunately, there are some users on TikTok who are just as confused by these acronyms as the public at large is, and they've gone looking for answers as to what certain acronyms mean.

The latest acronym to confuse users on TikTok is DSL, which is often connected to a person. Typically, a person is described as having DSLs, but if you don't already know what that means, the description can seem totally baffling.

Plenty of TikTok users have been told that they have DSLs, and now some of them are even making videos asking what the acronym means. As it turns out, the acronym means "d--k sucking lips." Basically, they describe a pair of lips that are particularly full or big and therefore might be good for that explicit act. It's almost definitely meant to be a diss, but that doesn't mean someone who gets told they have DSLs has to take it that way.

On one TikTok video, user @lilgoofychris1 asked what DSL meant, and while a few users chimed in to help, many were trying to avoid giving him the right answer because they thought it would be funnier.

"Digital subscriber line is a family of technologies that are used to transmit digital data over telephone lines," one person wrote, intentionally trolling him with the wrong answer.

"Digital subscriber line, my guy," another person added.

Thankfully, a few people were kind enough to actually steer him in the right direction. Clearly, the comment is meant to be hurtful, and it certainly could be to some people. There's nothing inherently wrong with the act being described in the acronym, although it may threaten the masculinity of some men. More generally, though, it's not great to make fun of a person's appearance, even if you don't mean any harm by it.

In addition to creating new acronyms that we may or may not actually need, social media has also made many people much more concerned about their appearance than they were before. This is especially true of young girls and women, who find that they have to constantly compare themselves with the often filtered images they see on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

This emphasis on images is only made worse by acronyms like DSL, which point out and make fun of a person's features. It may seem harmless, but there's no reason to use the acronym on anyone you know or anyone you don't.

Making people self-conscious, especially in a way intended to demean them, is pretty obvious bullying. You may think you're just having fun online, but it's important to remember that the person you're dealing with has a life all their own outside of whatever app you're on.