how italians meme: italian sleeping and italian cooking crystal meth

Image via moonvibesx/Twitter Image via George Resch

The ‘How Italians’ meme mocks Italy’s favorite gesture

Italians use their hands a lot to talk, and now that's become a meme for how they do other things.

Photo of David Covucci 

David Covucci

Internet Culture

Posted on Mar 22, 2017   Updated on May 24, 2021, 8:00 pm CDT

You may only be vaguely aware of things relating to Italy: There’s pizza, and art, and uhhh … pizza art? But even if that’s all the cursory knowledge you have about the boot-shaped nation, you do know the main stereotype about the nation’s denizens: Italians gesticulate.

When they do, they pinch their index, middle, and ring finger into their thumb. Do it right now. You instantly feel a-Siciliano.

Now, just because they do that when they talk, it would be stupid for them to do it when they do every other thing.

Right?

https://twitter.com/donny_drama/status/841370322720968705

Of course. But how else would an Italian pick up their coffee mug? By pulling apart their fingers and using those to grasp the mug? That’s a-nonsense!

That tweet is the genesis of the “how Italians do things” meme, and, in fact, once you start imagining Italians doing things like that, with four of their five fingers superglued together, you can’t imagine them doing things any other way.

italian meme: how italians hold hands
Image via Metapodlvl100/Imgur

To highlight the ridiculousness of this (because it is ridiculous, this isn’t how Italians actually do things), comparison memes were made.

https://twitter.com/SoarinPie/status/842370244786180096

https://twitter.com/Destini_Warnke/status/843149242336198656

https://twitter.com/freddicmercury/status/842053580580372481

Like a “now you see it” optical illusion, once your eyes are glued for Italian gestures, you start to see them in everything.

They are there in popular TV:

And animals:

how italians meme: cat making hand gesture
Screengrab via CafieroandMalatesta/Reddit

The weirder depths of the internet have had a recent fascination with Italy, so it’s understandable why this trend quickly spread across Reddit, Twitter, and Snapchat. As it did, though, something wonderful happened. the hand became a stand-in for the Italian person, which is where this meme really devolved into the absurd.

https://twitter.com/cherylaxy/status/843205120062115840

Now, it’s already getting mashed together with last week’s best meme, Student Athletes.

That is how Italians meme.

H/T KnowYourMeme

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*First Published: Mar 22, 2017, 6:50 am CDT

David Covucci

David Covucci is the senior politics and technology editor at the Daily Dot, covering the nexus between Washington and Silicon Valley. His work has appeared in Vice, the Huffington Post, Jezebel, Gothamist, and other publications. He is particularly interested in hearing any tips you have. Reach out at dcovucci@thedailydot.com.

David Covucci