Over the last two years, I’ve been in somewhat of a self proclaimed “cinephile era.” Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always liked movies, but seemingly never enough to understand most of the references made at parties. I especially lacked intel on current releases and could never guess people’s topical Halloween costumes. This journey into being a film chick also stemmed from a constant need for something new to be annoying about, and watching movies feels much more productive than scrolling on my phone, and it’s way more chic. So I’ve been going to the movies a lot, like the most I have in my entire life. But as much as I’d like to expand my horizons, I just can’t break the habit of only really caring about girl movies. If it’s not a romantic comedy/drama or erotic thriller, I don’t wanna see it! So I’m less of a cinephile I guess, and more of a horny movie snob and dedicated female pervert. 

Amidst my viewings, I’ve noticed that recent movies (music and television as well) have been taking a turn to a much kinkier side… I keep seeing appearances of a particular niche fetish and subculture making its way into the media I’ve been consuming—the “puppygirl.” 

Puppygirl-ism as an aesthetic, fetish, and identity has existed primarily in trans-feminine and trans-lesbian spaces, burgeoning in the early 2020’s. It is not to be mistaken with the human pup kink that emerged from the UK’s gay leather/bdsm scene (more on that later). It’s also not the same as being a furry, even though it can be sometimes, just not all the time, but whatever. 

The first time I saw a puppygirl outside of a twitter thread was probably @puppygirljenna—a TikToker who made videos doing things like catching frisbees in her mouth or eating kibble out of a dog bowl. She really was a trailblazer in the field, and ‘puppy’ has since been added to the wardrobe used by many Onlyfans models and sex workers, next to ‘cow,’ ‘cat,’ and ‘bunny.’ Puppygirl has quickly eclipsed the catgirl aesthetic, which has been around forever, but I find catgirl can be more empowering for the wearer and less outwardly kinky. For example, in the black cat/golden retriever dating theory, to be the black cat is to be mysterious, selective, and more dominant when the golden retriever is bubbly, energetic, and blindly loyal.

The first time I saw puppygirl-ism featured in a film was in Babygirl (2024), starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson. The story follows a classic trope of a high powered career woman yearning to be dominated as a means to relinquish control and escape her busy structured life. This puppygirl portrayal was quite blatant and honestly pretty hot (sorry). She crawls on her hands and knees, drinks out of a bowl on the floor, and in the end (spoilers) fantasizes about literally being his dog in order to finish while having sex with her husband (Antonio Banderas). It’s pretty silly but I had fun giggling awkwardly with a bunch of strangers as we all watched soft-core together in a theatre. In the opening scene she is masturbating and as she orgasms the guy behind me burst out laughing, which was annoying because like, some of us are trying to pay attention! 

While not quite a puppygirl movie, Pillion (2025) showed the other side of the human-dog spectrum. Alexander Skarsgaard and Henry Melling are involved in a heart-wrenching dom/sub relationship, exploring themes of self discovery and boundary pushing via acts of service in the name of love. Skarsgaard’s character is part of a gay biker gang consisting of human pups and leather daddies. While Melling’s character is a virginal younger man who’s described as having an “aptitude for devotion.” He is adorned with a lock and chain collar and sleeps on the floor at the foot of the bed. The way the fetish of being someone’s pet is portrayed in this film is exemplary of how we can place ourselves in subservient roles while striving for the affection of those we’ve put on a pedestal or see as out of our league. And how we often crave to be obedient or even controlled by the ones we love to make us feel protected, useful, and worthy. Woof. 

Sabrina Carpenter’s album Man’s Best Friend is accompanied by the controversial cover art of her at a man’s feet with her hair being held like a leash. I’d never seen such a mainstream celebrity teetering on the edge of this subculture. People criticized it for being degrading and un-feminist of her, but I interpreted it as an attempt to poke fun at herself, considering she’s always singing about being dissatisfied with men and the way they treat her, but acknowledging that she’s still kind of their bitch at the end of the day. I don’t think her heart was truly in a puppygirl place but it was enough of a reference to note. 

In Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” (2026), Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) goes absolutely dark mode—as he also does in the book, but this time making Isabella (Alison Oliver) into you guessed it… his freaking puppygirl. After having to watch Elordi and Margot Robbie have boring intimacy coordinated sex with their clothes on for two hours, it was pretty gaggy. Isabella is chained to the fireplace, begging on her hands and knees, drooling and panting, it’s super crazy. If Fennell put that energy into the entire film it wouldn’t have only been dipping its toes into the depraved and gothic, but fully committing to doing something actually interesting with the story. 

The final straw that pushed me over the edge of recognizing this as a phenomenon was the new season of Euphoria. Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) has become an influencer of sorts and has her housekeeper take photos of her dressed in full puppygirl garb. Nate (Jacob Elordi: strike two) comes home, interrupting the shoot, angry at her for selling herself like the dog in “how much is that puppy in the window?” But he conveniently resolves his feelings just in time for a screenshottable moment, and pulls her by her leash. I can imagine the amount of tumblr gifs of that moment I would’ve reblogged if this came out ten years prior.

The trend is so pervasive, but seemingly missing the perspective of the pioneers of the fetish: the transfemme community. Then I read about the gonzo-documentary Puppygirl (2026) in this article. I have yet to watch this one, but it’s pretty clear they’re hitting it right on the nose (snout). 

We’ve seen kink transcend the underground and form intrinsic ties in fashion and art over the last couple decades. And with straight normies having an insatiable urge to gentrify queer subcultures, the ones we’ll continue to see rise above ground will get weirder and weirder—since they’ve already made their way through the socially acceptable ones. 

But why are puppygirls up next? Why now? The inclusions of puppygirl-ism are being used to tell a story, whether it be metaphorical or ironic, or to provide a taboo edge or shock value. The ways to communicate meaning to an audience naturally expands over time, and of course the themes we wish to convey reflect the current state of our lives. So maybe we aren’t feeling as powerful and feline-esqe as we once did? Is it that as the world gets harder to live in, we just want to be care-free and looked after like spoiled pets? Or is it that we’re devoutly loyal to those who treat us as less than human? Tough to say. *wags tail*