Royal Armouries Museum curator's 'shock' after 'Gen Z takeover' video goes viral
From the Royal Armouries, Helen Steel sent this 'lit' report
A museum curator who became an inadvertent internet sensation after starring in a marketing video using youth slang says his newfound fame has come as a "shock".
Bespectacled Mark Murray-Flutter, a 65-year-old military expert at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, was filmed describing the museum as "the most sigma day out in Leeds".
In a minute-long video, posted on TikTok, the white-haired history buff says a suit of armour is "serving main character energy", describes Henry VIII as "the original rizzler" and says of one of the displays "dioramas are lit".
He ends by encouraging people to visit the museum, saying: "The vibes are immaculate."
The video has been viewed more than 4.6million times on TikTok and has had a total of more than eight million views across various platforms.
Mr Murray-Flutter, who has worked at the museum for 40 years, said: "People have been stopping me on the train, which has been quite a shock. They've been very complimentary and I've quite enjoyed the comments."
The museum has had numerous people visiting after seeing the video and received enquiries from as far afield as the United States.
Mr Murray-Flutter said he was asked by the museum's communications officer to take part, but admitted he did not initially understand much of what he was being asked to say.
He added: "It does appear to be a different language, or at least phraseology. I get the impression it's more written than spoken, but I have had to learn it to make it happen."
He said he had a "dictionary" written for him so he understood the script.
He said: "I enjoyed it. It's been fun. It's different from the day job.
"I imagine people expect me to be very serious and academic. But we're not like that. We enjoy fun as much as you!"
What is he talking about in the video?
The slang terms used by Mr Murray-Flutter are common parlance among members of so-called "Gen Z" (generally accepted as people born between 1996 and 2010).
Here's a translation of some of the terminology:
'Brat summer is over besties': 'Brat summer' was a term coined to describe a trend inspired by the album Brat, by musician Charlie XCX. It is characterised by a distinctive fashion style and a defiantly easy-going, party-loving attitude. 'Besties' is a truncated way of referring to best friends.
'Sigma': Cool or great
'No cap': No lie
'Slay': To impress
'Main character energy': Confidence or self-assurance like that exhibited by the lead character in a story
'Pop off Queen': A compliment to express excitement or positivity towards someone else
'Rizzler': Someone with large amounts of charisma or who is very flirtatious
'Very based': Being true to yourself and not caring what others think
'Lit': Exciting
'Ate and left no crumbs': Performed very well or did something perfectly
'Negative aura points': Losing credibility for doing something uncool
'Understood the assignment': Doing an exceptional job or exceeding expectations