[Ads-l] "You do you."

[Ben Zimmer]

There's a relevant Urban Dictionary entry from Oct. 28, 2009:

---
You Do You
the act of doing the things that you normally do. Nothing more, nothing
less. Just being yourself and showing everyone who's boss around here.
Person 1: Hey, I went to the mall and bought a YOU GO BAK today.
Person 2: You Do You, Pal!
by Mike Provenzano October 28, 2009
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=You%20Do%20You
---

It goes back a couple of years before that on Twitter (now X):

---
@SadisticApethy, Twitter, Sept. 27, 2007
You do you. Watcch me do me.
https://twitter.com/SadisticApethy/status/297612782
---

The Atlanta rapper Rocko released the song "Umma Do Me" on Oct. 23, 2007,
and it has the lines, "You just do you, umma [I'ma] do me" and "Wanna see
how it's done? Watch me do me."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umma_Do_Me
https://genius.com/Rocko-umma-do-me-lyrics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNemkBDsfgc

Some Twitter examples in 2008 seem to quote the Rocko song (the 9/27/07
tweet could have been paraphrasing it before its official release).

---
@alischlueter, Twitter, Apr. 11, 2008
https://twitter.com/alischlueter/status/787534381
umma do me- you do you- WATCH ME DO ME
---
@itgangsta, Twitter, July 31, 2008
https://twitter.com/itgangsta/status/874105173
you do you, umma do me.
---

This example is notable because it's from a celebrity (Questlove) and it's
different from the Rocko lyrics:

---
Questlove, Twitter, Sept. 22, 2008
https://twitter.com/questlove/status/930183397
@AeonMusic i do me. you do you. 430am is 430 to normal 9-5 people. far as
im concerned its 2pm.
---

--bgz


On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 7:29 AM Jonathan Lighter <
00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> "Behave in whatever way feels comfortable to you."  Imperative only.
>
> I've been hearing this for a (very?) few years. Nearly impossible to search
> for.
>
> 2024 www.quora.com :    I still get comments saying “they are correct, you
> are wrong.” That’s fine. You do you. I’ll go by my experience, you go by
> yours.
>
> JL
>
>

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