There are no original ideas anymore. And, apparently, no original memes. A Twitter user who goes by the handle @YoRHaw shared an image from a 1921 comic strip over the weekend that is eerily similar to memes that compare two images today.
this comic strip from 1921 is really relatable to this day pic.twitter.com/DXCpl923Iy
— seepy (@YoRHaw) April 15, 2018
It’s the “What you think you look like vs. what you actually look like” meme! The new “If you don’t love me at my worst” meme also resembles the format of this old comic.
if you can't handle/you don't deserve https://t.co/zpQI1T5M58
— Rebecca Christopher (@christrebecca) April 15, 2018
The joke in the comic works for an occasion when you’re having your photo taken, like for a driver’s license photo:
Or: Driver's license photos, in a nutshell. https://t.co/bQXLGxKIo6
— Arlo the Pangolin (@ArloPangolin) April 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/Fourteenpounds/status/985649558272307200
https://twitter.com/LachlanTemplar/status/985651984639381504
So where did this image come from? Its origin is a satirical magazine called Judge, which ran until 1947. You can see the full issue of the magazine in an archive here.
https://t.co/dZZwOXhN0j here you are :D
— seepy (@YoRHaw) April 15, 2018
The comic had some people asking if this was the first meme.
https://twitter.com/AnthonyGobeille/status/985406941076733953
kneel before the first meme in history https://t.co/VRJUnD3YI2
— moved accs (@peachtyongie) April 16, 2018
But there were probably “memes” or jokes about our perceived attractiveness long before this comic was published. Humans have always been vain.