What Is A Passenger Princess?
Hangin’ out the passenger side, of his best friend’s ride, trying to holla at me💅
Pronounced: [pas-uhn-jer prin-sis]
Over the last few years, but especially over the last few months, the phrase ‘passenger princess’ has likely popped up across all your social feeds.
As you spend hours aimlessly scrolling, you’ve probably seen several dozen videos (most likely from a female POV) of someone who doesn’t drive, getting their friend or significant other to drive them around.
Does that sound like you? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Find out below if you really are a passenger princess — this is a judgement-free zone.
Jump to:
- What is a passenger princess?
- Passenger princess duties
- How to be a passenger princess
- Where did the phrase ‘passenger princess’ come from?
- TikTok’s passenger princess
- Are you a passenger princess?
What is a passenger princess?
According to the very reliable urban dictionary, a passenger princess is ‘a girl who doesn’t know how to drive, so her friends drive her around and she just sits in the passenger seat while taking care of the music.’
Another definition describes a passenger princess as ‘a girl who doesn’t drive but gets driven around by boys all the time with no intention of learning to drive.’ Sounds kind of shady, but we all know a couple of people fitting this description.
Essentially, a passenger princess doesn’t want to drive (or can’t) and instead lives the life of luxury by being in the passenger’s seat. Another key thing about being the passenger princess, is having your thigh gripped by the driver, with their other hand controlling the steering wheel. Ahhh, who said romance was dead?
The term ‘passenger princess’ has been circulating the internet for a couple of years now, but gained viral recognition on TikTok in 2022 and has since become a trending topic – with more than 1.6 billion views for the hashtag #passengerprincess.
Is it just a ‘girl thing’? Or can guys be passenger princesses, too? Duh, it’s 2023, of course guys can be passenger princesses. Shout out to my ex who I spent three years driving around – you owe me!
Passenger princess used in a sentence:
“My girlfriend makes me take her shopping while she dictates the playlist and heating — she’s such a passenger princess”.
Passenger princess duties
Being a passenger princess may seem like fun, just sitting there, looking pretty and being driven around. But, it’s actually hard work.
You’ve gotta be the in-car chef, GPS navigator, and a DJ all in one go. It’s practically a full-time job.
Passenger princess duties include, but are not limited to:
- Looking cute (yes, we know this sets feminism back a bit)
- Designated snack sharer – hands one snack to the driver, two for themselves
- Shouting at the GPS and giving last minute (awful) directions
- Controlling the air conditioning or heating
- Sipping on expensive iced coffees
- Vibing
Some say it’s a luxury, some say it’s a lifestyle. But hey, I would become a full-time passenger princess if someone could drive me around forever. Any takers?
While many people are all for the passenger princess role, others aren’t so keen.
Many have said they ‘could never let a man drive them around’. Fair enough.
Others couldn’t get behind the trend because their boyfriends couldn’t drive or didn’t have a car — not surprising tbh, cars are expensive, and the waiting list for driving tests is absolutely enormous since Covid.
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How to be a passenger princess
Think being a passenger princess is your true calling? Same.
If you want to take your throne as princess, you’ll have to conduct your duties accordingly.
Step 1: curate the perfect playlist
No drive (short or long) should be without the perfect tunes to drive along to. Before the trip, ensure you’ve got the right vibes by creating a playlist. This will help the driver stay awake and give them a bit of energy to put up with you and your passenger antics.
Try and match the vibe for the journey/destination. Going to a concert? Play the artist’s bangers to hype you and the driver up. Heading to the beach? Jam-pack your playlist with fun, vibrant songs.
Step 2: GPS
Whether you’re using a sat-nav or going on instinct/knowledge, ensure you help your driver out with directions. Let them know when turns and exits are coming up, but tell them with enough time to prepare their next move, not as you’ve passed the exit!
Step 3: snack attack
Drivers have to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, so your duty is to be the snack sharer. Keep your driver hydrated, happy and fed by giving them their favourite snacks on longer drives. They’ll be grateful for it.
Step 4: cargo holder
Picking up a takeaway? Delivering a cake to a friend? Birthday bouquet? You’re the holder of the important cargo. Anything fragile or at risk of spilling should be your responsibility. Hold on tightly to avoid mishaps — teamwork makes the dream work.
Step 5: appreciation
Always thank the driver! Friend, family, significant other, they deserve a thanks for driving you around as your chauffeur. A passenger princess simply wouldn’t exist without a driver, so show your appreciation.
And maybe let them be the passenger princess once in a while.
Where did the phrase ‘passenger princess’ come from?
Like most new phrases and terms, social media is to thank.
Social media apps like TikTok and Instagram are constantly evolving, with new trends popping up seemingly everyday. Passenger Princess most likely rose to popularity being used on TikTok — alongside videos and clips of (usually) females sitting in the passenger’s side whilst their partner, friend, etc takes the wheel as dedicated driver.
It stems from the dislike of driving, as well as the inability to drive, therefore letting their significant others take the lead. This is unsurprising since the announcement of changes to driving tests making them more difficult, including the high prices of car insurance.
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TikTok’s passenger princess
A trend wouldn’t be a trend if it wasn’t all over TikTok.
Here are a few of our favourite passenger princess videos.
Are you a passenger princess?
If you’re a passenger princess, own it! Someone’s got to do it…
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