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A thirst trap is a type of social media post intended to entice viewers sexually. It refers to a viewer's "thirst", a colloquialism likening sexual frustration to dehydration, implying desperation, with the afflicted individual being described as "thirsty." The phrase entered into the lexicon in late 1990s, but is most related to Internet slang that developed in the early 2010s. Its meaning has changed over time.History
The usage of the phrase thirst trap derived from selfie culture. Though its origin is ambiguous, thirst trap was used in the 1999 book, Running for Dummies authored by Florence Griffith Joyner and John Hanc. 
The authors defined a body's need for hydration prior to the onset of thirst and the false sense that the immediate thirst was quenched with the first intake of fluid. To avoid the thirst trap, the authors suggested further intake of fluids even though the body's "thirsty message" had been sated.The term thirst trap re-emerged on Twitter and Urban Dictionary in 2011, and throughout the years as the rise of Snapchat, Instagram, and online dating apps such as Tinder. In 2011, it was defined by Urban Dictionary as "any statement used to intentionally create attention or 'thirst'."In 2018, it was reported to have entered common usage, as media sources including The New York Times and GQ started using the expression without definition.
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