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Sheena doing the “Eyyy” pose in a July 10 post. Courtesy: @bini_sheena / Instagram

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Andrew Jonathan Bagaoisan

ABS-CBN News

<div dir="ltr"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1721561579230450207716_18441792781000447_4501012686324866527_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Sheena doing the “Eyyy” pose in a July 10 post. Courtesy: @bini_sheena / Instagram"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Sheena doing the “Eyyy” pose in a July 10 post. <em>Courtesy: @bini_sheena / Instagram</em></span></span></span></div><p dir="ltr">MANILA — It’s everywhere these days. And if you haven’t encountered it online or in person, mag-“Eyyyy” ka muna.</p><p dir="ltr">The latest trending expression is not just verbal. </p><p dir="ltr">To do it, you vocalize “Eyyyy” while holding out your hand (or hands if you’re feeling extra) in a “Y” sign—thumb and pinky out, other fingers curled down. Shaking is optional.</p><p dir="ltr">Elsewhere, it’s called the “shaka” or “hang loose” gesture, Hawaiian in origin.</p><p dir="ltr">And while initially associated with surf or hip hop culture, its current popularity for Pinoys is connected with another pop culture phenomenon—the Nation’s Girl Group, BINI.</p><div dir="ltr"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/7/20/new-bini-docu-series-offers-exclusive-look-into-rise-of-nation-s-girl-group-1004">READ: New BINI docu series offers exclusive look into rise of Nation&#x27;s Girl Group </a></div><p dir="ltr">For BINI member Sheena Catacutan, whose use of the sign is credited with starting the local trend, it’s all about spreading positive vibes.</p><p dir="ltr">“Nagugulat ako na sa mga casuals…kung saan-saan ko na nakikita ‘yong ‘Eyy’, actually ‘di ko alam kung ano’ng mafi-feel ko,” she told ABS-CBN News on Saturday when asked about the trend.</p><p dir="ltr">(I’m surprised to see it among casual fans. I’ve been seeing ‘Eyyy’ here and there, I actually do not know what to feel about it.)</p><p dir="ltr">“‘Di ko alam isasagot ko (I don’t know how to respond). Eyy ka muna, eyyyy.”</p><p dir="ltr">True enough, the catchphrase has been latched onto in social media as a playful, even hopeful, response to a range of situations: Whether the “hugot” of the lovelorn or the day-to-day surprises and chagrin of life.</p><p dir="ltr">The expression exploded in early July, springing from a video of Sheena posted by user @softlysheena of their meet-and-greet during the BINIverse three-day concert. </p><div><iframe allowfullscreen="" allowtransparency="true" data-tweet-id="1807080121444217278" frameBorder="0" id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-2&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1807080121444217278&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Anews-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2024-07-21T03%3A49%3A50.337721%3Aba6a3bd0-b764-4867-9eac-9701494e07e5%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=6da69d41098f77acdc9f90ca1f30e6a4548f6896&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" title="X Post"></iframe></div><p dir="ltr"><br/>Recalling the interaction, Sheena said she made the expression to calm down the emotional ‘Bloom’ or BINI fan.</p><p dir="ltr">“Mayroong ‘Bloom’ na nagsabing ga-graduate siya. Ta’s naiiyak siya—e alam niyo naman ayoko na umiiyak ‘yong mga tao, so sabi ko, ‘Eyy ka muna, eyyyy.’ So at least, nakapag-“Eyyy” muna siya bago siya humagulgol,” she said.</p><p dir="ltr">(A Bloom said they were graduating and was about to burst into tears. You know how much I don’t like seeing people cry. So I said ‘Eyy ka muna, eyyyy.’ So at least they were able to say ‘Eyyy’ before breaking down.) </p><div dir="ltr"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/7/14/bini-in-awe-of-success-of-cherry-on-top-1941">WATCH: BINI in awe of success of &#x27;Cherry on Top&#x27;</a></div><div dir="ltr"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/7/14/pinoy-pride-bini-to-appear-at-kcon-la-2024-850">READ: Pinoy pride: BINI to appear at KCON LA 2024</a></div><div><strong>FIRST LETTER OF THE ALPHABET</strong></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dii" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1721500474522BINI%20girls%20eyyyy.png" class="fr-fic fr-dii" style="width:950px"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The BINI girls do the “Eyyy” sign in an Instagram video released in April 2024. <em>Courtesy: @bini_ph/Instagram</em></span></span></span></div><p>&quot;Eyyyy” is actually not new to Blooms.</p><p>The girls’ guesting in “It’s Showtime” back in November 2023 could be the earliest public instance the gesture was made with them.</p><p>The girls had performed in an all-star production with drag artist Taylor Sheesh, who later exclaimed “What is the first letter of the alphabet?”, answering with “AAAAA!” and the “shaka” gesture.</p><p>Over the next months that saw the group ride high on multiple song hits and gain wider recognition, the girls also carried the expression–especially Sheena.</p><div dir="ltr"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/6/30/bini-set-for-grand-biniverse-concert-in-october-2247">READ: BINI set for grand BINIverse concert in October</a></div><p dir="ltr">READ: <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/7/19/-bini-wockeez-bini-heads-to-gensan-clad-in-jabbawockeez-inspired-outfits-1448">&#x27;BINI-wockeez!&#x27;: BINI heads to GenSan clad in &#x27;Jabbawockeez-inspired&#x27; outfits</a></p><p>Sheena at first answers jokingly when asked about where it began.</p><p dir="ltr">“I adopted ‘Eyyy’ [at] two years old,” she said in the ABS-CBN News interview.</p><p dir="ltr">“Randomly lang siya gumagalaw sa katawan ko (It just randomly moved with my body),” she later told viewers in a livestream on Saturday afternoon.</p><p dir="ltr">But BINI’s main dancer—whose choreography gave the world the “Pantropiko” dance craze—calls the gesture a collaboration of two influences.</p><p dir="ltr">“Nakuha ko talaga ‘yong ‘Eyyy’ sa tropa ko, like, sa Isabela, nagcha-chat siya: ‘Eyyyyy’ hanggang sa nakuha ko. Tapos mayroon kaming staff din here, ‘pag nagmi-meet kami, ‘geng-geng’ gumaganon,” Sheena said.</p><p dir="ltr">(I really got ‘Eyyy’ from a friend back in Isabela, who kept saying ‘Eyyyy’ in chat messages until I eventually got it. And then we had a staff member who kept gesturing ‘geng-geng’ and the like whenever we met.)</p><p dir="ltr">“Geng-geng” is a colloquialism for those whose fashion or behavior mimics gangsta style.</p><p dir="ltr">“So when you collab it, ‘Eyyy’. Naturally na lang siya nangyari—sa chat, in person, ganyan,” she said.</p><p dir="ltr">(It just happened naturally—in chat, in person, that’s it.)</p><div dir="ltr"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/4/26/dive-into-bini-s-pantropiko-from-one-member-s-challenge-to-a-summer-dance-craze-1145">READ: Dive into BINI’s ‘Pantropiko’: The creation of a summer dance craze</a></div><div><strong>EVOLVING ‘SHAKA’</strong></div><div><br/><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dii" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1721500704521Interns%20Kabayan%20eyyy.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dii" style="width:950px"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">ABS-CBN News interns do the “Eyyy” sign with “TV Patrol” news anchor Noli De Castro. <em>Courtesy: Kirstein Pilongo</em></span></span></span></div><p dir="ltr"><br/>Filipinos are not the only ones putting the “Eyyy” on the “shaka” this year.</p><p dir="ltr">Known for evoking warmth, taking it easy, and even epicness, it was declared this June by the <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/hawaii-declares-shaka-its-official-state-hand-gesture#:~:text=More%20than%20just%20%E2%80%9Chang%20loose,spirit%2C%20love%20and%20local%20pride">Hawaiian legislature</a> as the official state hand gesture to recognize its origins.</p><p dir="ltr">In the US island state, the “shaka” has risen to a visual expression of the “aloha” greeting.</p><p dir="ltr">A <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://shakafilm.com/">documentary</a> by a Honolulu-based filmmaker which premiered last May tackled various backstories to the sign, but mainly traced it to a Hawaiian fisherman from the 1900s who had his three middle fingers cut off in a mill accident, which locals began to imitate when he waved.</p><p dir="ltr">In the century since, it has traveled the world and changed meanings or been interchanged with other similar gestures, among them the sign language symbol for the letter Y and the signal for calling on a telephone.</p><p dir="ltr">Filipino millennials, for one, may remember the gesture as the emblem of the 2000s youth-oriented TV talk show “Y-Speak”. </p><p dir="ltr">But in the land of BINI, at least for now, the “shaka” will accompany the expression that diffuses tension or breaks the dead air, or be raised in concerts or singalongs when everyone reaches “Ayoko maniwala, eyyyy!”</p><p dir="ltr">“It’s a big responsibility kasi mother na ako (because I’m now a mother), yes,” Sheena said, laughing, at the thought she helped launch this trend.</p><p dir="ltr">“Sige po, palaganapin niyo na siya, kasi wala namang harm, you know. Positive ka muna,” she added.</p><p dir="ltr">(Yes, keep spreading it around because there’s no harm in it, you know. Stay positive.)</p><p dir="ltr">“So, everybody if you’re happy, say ‘Eyyyy’!” </p><div><strong>—with Chawie Vergara, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div dir="ltr"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/7/2/-team-labas-lagi-lagi-ang-suporta-sa-biniverse-057">WATCH: ‘Team Labas’ lagi-lagi ang suporta sa BINIverse</a></div><div dir="ltr"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/7/11/bini-working-on-2-albums-for-international-and-local-release-1622">READ: BINI working on 2 albums for international and local releases</a></div><div dir="ltr"><em>Become an exclusive member of the BINI website </em><em><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://fandom.abs-cbn.com/bini">here</a></em><em>.</em></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="3060782"></ivs-player></div><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script><div><br/></div>

<p>It’s everywhere these days. And if you haven’t encountered it online or in person, mag-“Eyyyy” ka muna.</p>

It’s everywhere these days. And if you haven’t encountered it online or in person, mag-“Eyyyy” ka muna.

BINI’s Sheena hopes Pinoys ‘Eyyyy’ their way to good vibes

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BINI’s Sheena hopes Pinoys ‘Eyyyy’ their way to good vibes

Andrew Jonathan Bagaoisan,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 21, 2024 11:46 AM PHT

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Updated July 21, 2024 07:34 PM PHT

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Eyyy

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