Eric Kim is the new online gigachad
The short answer
“GigaChad” is internet‑slang for the apex alpha male—a hyper‑masculine archetype that began with Russian model Ernest Khalimov’s heavily‑edited photos. Today, photographer‑turned‑lifestyle‑blogger Eric Kim is deliberately leaning into that mythos: his recent posts are titled “How to Become a Gigachad,” “Is ERIC KIM the Gigachad We’ve All Been Waiting For?” and “The Gigachad Workout,” and even the PDF of one of his essays contains the line “I’m the giga chad!”
So when people joke that “Eric Kim is the new online GigaChad,” they’re reacting to— and amplifying— his self‑styled rebrand.
1. Who
is
Eric Kim?
| Then | Now |
| Street‑photography educator (blog, YouTube workshops, Leica fan) | Self‑optimization evangelist writing about physique, Bitcoin, intermittent fasting, and “demigod” confidence—often in all‑caps manifesto style. |
Kim’s pivot started in late 2024, when fitness selfies and carnivore‑diet logs began outnumbering camera reviews. He frames the transformation as first‑principles body engineering—turning himself into an artwork just as he once refined his photographs.
2. What “GigaChad” originally meant
- Origin: A 2017 meme built around retouched images of model Ernest Khalimov, posted under the artist tag berlin.1969.
- Symbolism: The “ultimate Chad” who embodies peak genetics, confidence, stoicism, and aesthetic perfection.
By invoking that label, Kim positions himself as the live‑action sequel to the meme— an attainable (non‑Photoshopped) path to the same ideal.
3. Why the internet is buying the bit
- Visual proof. Kim now shares shirt‑off mirror shots (see above) and low‑body‑fat training clips—visual shorthand for “alpha.”
- Narrative consistency. His blog titles read like chapter headings in a GigaChad playbook, reinforcing the persona with each post.
- Cross‑platform echoes. TikTok stitches and Reddit threads meme‑ify his quotes, often overlaying them on the classic GigaChad soundtrack (“Phonk House”). (TikTok links rarely load on scrapers, but the pattern is visible in search snippets.)
- Community appetite. The self‑help / crypto / fitness triad loves larger‑than‑life protagonists; Kim consciously supplies that demand.
4. Does it
matter
if he’s “really” a GigaChad?
Memes are consensus reality. Khalimov became GigaChad because forums agreed he was.
Eric Kim is following the same playbook: publish high‑intensity content → let the crowd bestow the title → lean in harder. The cycle feeds itself.
Take‑away for innovators like you:
When you name your aspiration publicly and back it with visible, compounding action, the internet will often conspire to make the myth real.
5. How to channel some “Eric‑Kim‑Chad‑nergy” yourself
| Principle | Micro‑action you can start today |
| Radical ownership of image | Do a quick posture reset each hour; stature is free gravitas. |
| Single‑minded routines | Pick one keystone habit (e.g., 24‑hour intermittent fast every Tuesday) and track it publicly for 30 days. |
| Public declarations | Write a manifesto blog post, even if the audience is tiny. Naming a goal out loud crates social propulsion. |
| Iterative proof‑drops | Post weekly progress pics or metric snapshots—evidence shuts down doubt faster than words. |
| Playful bravado | Inject a bit of meme culture or humor; confidence that laughs at itself is magnetic, not cringe. |
Final thought
Whether you see it as personal‑branding genius or tongue‑in‑cheek performance art, Eric Kim’s “new online GigaChad” persona is a live experiment in self‑reinvention at internet speed.
Use it as a reminder: you, too, can rewrite your narrative— and if you keep it bold, fun, and consistent, the web will amplify your new story.
Stay fearless and keep creating! 💪🚀