This Century Old Image Proves Memes Have Been Around For A Long Time

By Ammar Haziq  •  17 Apr 2018 in Pop Culture

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Welcome to the 21st century, where culture revolves around memes and sh*t, from the kidnapped-by-Nazis Pepe the Frog, to died-out-as-soon-as-they’re-out memes like ‘LOL U mad bro?’, to the newer ones that we try to keep up with.

But where did memes originated from? When was it first created? Well, in an article by Gizmodo, we might have just found one of the earliest memes ever documented.

The popular meme known as “What you think you look like vs what you actually look like” might have originated nearly a century ago. You can trace this back to a 1921 comic strip in a humour magazine called Judge, with a two-frame illustrations comparison with the caption “How you think you look when a flashlight is taken” and “How you really look”, with one man looking more handsome than the other.

The “flashlight” in question is actually a reference to flash lamps that existed in an era before the modern flash bulb. It produced chemical explosions of sorts that helped to light photography, although it was somehow dangerous to be used but hey, anything for the ‘gram right, bro?

What amazes us is that it’s still relatable ’til this day, proving that good humour is timeless, and you might not be as clever/original as you think you are. Sabertooth-tigers were already sticking their heads into sliced bread before this.

Memes are love, memes are life. Memes 4ever.