‘You’re trying to spike my cortisol and make me less beautiful’: How a model’s tweet birthed an iconic catchphrase

“Spike My Cortisol” is part of a quote tweeted by an angry model that has become a meme among those amused by her outrage. In February 2025, a woman on X claimed that top modeling agencies had been scouting her and accused haters of “trying to spike my cortisol and make me less beautiful,” launching a new text meme and catchphrase.

The alleged model, who goes by “Veronica” online, also founded a skincare company and touts the use of “bioenergetics” for anti-aging purposes. That may help put what she said into context.

Meme basics:

• Meme Creator: @celestialbe1ng
• Meme Type: Text / Copypasta
• First Appearance: Feb. 27, 2025
• Origin Source: X
• Used to Convey: Accusation of sabotage
• Peak Popularity: Early March 2025

Meme origins and spread

On Feb 27, 2025, Veronica tweeted out her accusation that certain individuals were conspiring to make her less hot.

“People act like I literally wasn’t scouted by arguably the best modeling agency in the world at 20, and that I was somehow ugly before – lol,” she wrote.

“You’re envious, dishonest, and bitter. You’re trying to spike my cortisol and make me less beautiful, but I see through your ugly intent, and the Slavic woman superiority lives on. I hope you find love within yourself and stop spewing vitriol against the beautiful and the talented. Find God.”

Veronica gained over 550,000 views and 1,900 likes within a few days, as well as a heavy amount of comments and quote tweets.

On the same day, other X users declared their intent to start using the phrase “you’re trying to spike my cortisol and make me less beautiful” and began to tweet it without context.

“’You’re trying to spike my cortisol and make me less beautiful’ has settled into my lexicon nicely,” wrote @evristainted to the tune of 5,100 likes.

As time went on, it went from copypasta to more of a general text meme as people paraphrased the original and mixed it with other quotes and gags. User @s4m31p4n made it into a Drake meme on March 1, 2025, and gained 23,000 likes.

What does ‘Spike My Cortisol’ mean?

References to spiking cortisol and the attempts to inflict this upon others are an ironic nod to Veronica’s post accusing people of hating her because she’s beautiful. Finding Veronica’s response humorous, X users started repeating or paraphrasing her declaration ironically in their posts.

According to the National Institute of Health, cortisol is a hormone that plays a role in the stress response. Although it impacts various other bodily functions, the average person tends to think of it as the “stress hormone.”

When the human brain perceives a threat, it activates the sympathetic nervous system to increase heart and respiratory rates, release adrenaline, and produce other responses designed to increase chances of survival. Cortisol allows the body to maintain this state for longer when the brain deems the threat real rather than a false alarm.

This hormone is fine and highly useful in occasional doses, but if the body releases it too often, or it sticks around for too long, research has associated it with negative health outcomes. In 2013, one study found that high levels of cortisol detected in hair predicted higher risks of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Knowledge along these lines as well as rumors about cortisol accelerating the aging process had led some to try and avoid its release. In this context, Veronica’s reference to cortisol reads as an accusation of a direct attack on her appearance and well-being.

Cultural context: Anti-ageing trends

In the mid-2020s, the culture is gripped in yet another anti-ageing craze. Billionaires pursue goals of literally living forever while parents fret over pre-adolescent children using wrinkle creams and other anti-ageing products on TikTok.

Veronica herself is the founder of the company Aurabiōm Skincare and references several pro-eternal youth buzzwords in her X bio.

“Reclaiming your metabolism, youth and beauty with bioenergetics. Biology, hormones, anti-ageing,” it reads.

In other posts, Veronica has pushed some unusual and unsupported health claims. In a March 1 tweet, she gave advice on lowering cortisol levels “so you can stay beautiful and never age” as part of something called the Ray Peat diet. This includes eating marshmallows and ice cream, drinking Mexican cola, Gregorian chants, and, of course, taking the gelatine gummies she sells.

Spike My Cortisol meme examples

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