# "I'm, like, ..." -- was it Valley Girls that started that? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 31, 2026, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055 "2026-07-31T16:48:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Timz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/1 "2026-07-31T16:48:21Z")
That expression I’m comma like comma that we constantly hear now didn’t exist until a few decades ago. (Does it exist now, in other English-speaking countries?) Didn’t it get started as part of Valley Girl lingo? No, I don’t remember what the Valley Girl concept was (San Fernando Valley, wasn’t it?). The rest of it, aside from “I’m, like,” seems to have evaporated, but somehow “I’m, like,” has taken over the world. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/2 "2026-07-31T16:54:39Z")
It definitely predates the Valley Girls since I remember it in use long before that. Poking around on Google it’s much older than I remember. Apparently it started with the Beatniks in the 1950s. It grew in popularity in the 1970s (which is when I remember hearing it) and grew again in popularity in the 1980s with Valley Girl speak. Odd usage of “like” at the end of a sentence is even older. “He is really tall, like,” dates to the 1500s (according to one cite) or the 1700s (according to a different cite). “He is, like, really tall,” dates to the 1950s. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/3 "2026-07-31T17:06:35Z")
> [@Timz](#): > > No, I don’t remember what the Valley Girl concept was (San Fernando Valley, wasn’t it?). Yes, it was the San Fernando Valley. Back in the 1980s, my cousin lived a block or two away from the Galleria Mall in Los Angeles (featured in several movies from the 80s). We walked over to the Mall one day while I was visiting, and while most of the people there spoke normally, we did encounter some girls speaking Valley Girl speak to each other. So it wasn’t just a movie or Frank Zappa thing. Valley Girl speak did exist in real life and was common enough in that part of the world that you could easily encounter it in the wild.. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/4 "2026-07-31T17:22:02Z")
I strongly question the OP’s contention that we constantly hear it now. I’ll immediately admit there might well be regional variation in how common it is in 2026. But in my area (SoFL) and peer group (well-educated well-off retirees) it’s very, very rare. Even though our generation was in HS or college when the “Valley Girl” phenomenon was at its peak. I wonder where the OP is hearing this, and from whom? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/5 "2026-07-31T17:24:57Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Poking around on Google it’s much older than I remember. Apparently it started with the Beatniks in the 1950s. Agreed. I remember stereotypical 60’s TV beatniks played bongos, snapped their fingers rhythmically, said “cool, cool”, and _“like.”_ Real life beats reportedly called marijuana “tea” or “boo.” And I distinctly remember being aware of how one of my friends (Steve G\_\_) overused/misused the word “like” when we were in 7th grade. In 1963. San Diego. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/6 "2026-07-31T17:32:37Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I strongly question the OP’s contention that we constantly hear it now. > > I’ll immediately admit there might well be regional variation in how common it is in 2026. But in my area (SoFL) and peer group (well-educated well-off retirees) it’s very, very rare. Even though our generation was in HS or college when the “Valley Girl” phenomenon was at its peak. > > I wonder where the OP is hearing this, and from whom? I hear it all the time whenever a group of girls in their teens or twenties are talking to each other. Chicago area. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/7 "2026-07-31T17:34:16Z")
From a 60s-era Mad Magazine: HIPPIE #1: “Man, I hear there’s a kind of salmon that can get you high! Ever, like, smoked salmon?” HIPPIE #2: “Nah, but I once dug pickled lox!” ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/8 "2026-07-31T17:34:30Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > we did encounter some girls speaking Valley Girl speak to each other. Not just girls, but the guys, too. The “like” thing was borrowed from hippies who stole it from the beatniks. Counterculture speak had longer legs in California than the rest of the country. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/9 "2026-07-31T17:39:05Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > I hear it all the time whenever a group of girls in their teens or twenties are talking to each other. Chicago area. Thank you. Tomorrow being Saturday I think a field trip to my local mall / maawwwllll is in order. I know the place is loaded with HS & college-aged women (& men) then. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/10 "2026-07-31T17:58:40Z")
I don’t know if anyone still says “gag me” or “I’m _so_ sure”, but there are plenty of folks- mostly female and not necessarily teens- who do the upspeak thing, and that is a big part of valley girl talk, imo. ---
**Author:** ![Timz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/11 "2026-07-31T18:24:02Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Apparently it started with the Beatniks in the 1950s. The stereotypical beatnik was snapping his fingers and saying “like” all the time. Don’t think he said “I’m, like, having a great time …” and suchlike. Maybe that should have been my original question. The change to “I’m, like, crazy about him” instead of just “I’m crazy about him.” ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/12 "2026-07-31T18:32:27Z")
When I read the topic, I thought OP meant the substitution of “I’m like . . .” for “I said . . .” IME that began to happen somewhere in the mid eighties and spread like wildfire. I’d say it’s common usage now, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear it in a corporate setting. I hate it, but it’s common. We are approaching the same level of usage with “I’ll do . . .” instead of “I’ll have . . .” or “I’d like . . .” when ordering at a restaurant. This one particularly grates on my nerves, because it makes food sound like a drug. It follows the same verb shift as “Doing ecstasy” instead of “Dropping ecstasy.” But “like” as a substitute for “ummm” or any other verbal filler bothers me less. Fillers in general exist to be ignored. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/13 "2026-07-31T18:40:52Z")
I thought that’s what the OP meant, too, and has an intrusive comma. If that’s the case, yeah, I think Val-Speak popularized it, regardless of its origin. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/14 "2026-07-31T20:29:11Z")
Sergeant Pepper was, like, far out man. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/15 "2026-07-31T20:34:21Z")
Well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/16 "2026-08-01T00:39:44Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > From a 60s-era Mad Magazine: > > HIPPIE #1: “Man, I hear there’s a kind of salmon that can get you high! Ever, like, smoked salmon?” > > HIPPIE #2: “Nah, but I once dug pickled lox!” Around that same time (It may have been that same article) there was a book for sale on ‘Hippie/Beatnik’ grammar. One rule was to start every sentence with “Like, man…” ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/17 "2026-08-01T01:23:13Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man. I think “ya know” was as prevalent as “like” in 1963, serving as a superfluous comma. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/18 "2026-08-01T09:00:04Z")
Encino is, like, so bitchin.’ ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/19 "2026-08-01T09:25:09Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I strongly question the OP’s contention that we constantly hear it now. > > I’ll immediately admit there might well be regional variation in how common it is in 2026. But in my area (SoFL) and peer group (well-educated well-off retirees) it’s very, very rare. It may be regional to some extent, but mostly I think it’s very much age-related. For instance, CBC Radio often has science programs in which subject matter experts, usually researchers and professors, are interviewed. On one occasion the interviewee was a young female graduate student. She sounded very knowledgeable but Jeebus, she could not utter a single sentence without punctuating it with one or two "like"s, usually several. I pity this poor girl when she has to defend her PhD thesis which is probably, like, excellent, but will be assessed by, like, a group of older academics firing questions at her. . ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055/20 "2026-08-01T10:03:05Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Poking around on Google it’s much older than I remember. Apparently it started with the Beatniks in the 1950s. It grew in popularity in the 1970s (which is when I remember hearing it) and grew again in popularity in the 1980s with Valley Girl speak. Shaggy in “Scooby Doo” used “like” – and he was based on Maynard G. Krebs, the best friend of Dobie Gillis in the 1959 sitcom _The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,_ who used “like” quite emphatically. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055.md?page=2)