Charlie Chaplin invented the “Distracted Boyfriend” meme almost 100 years ago

I’m sure there aren’t many of you who haven’t stumbled upon the “Distracted Boyfriend” meme somewhere on the Internet. It caught fire last year and ended up having thousands of hilarious variations. And although we connect it with the present time, it seems like Charlie Chaplin invented it way back in 1922.

Film writer Peter Goldberg posted a screenshot from Charlie Chaplin’s short film Pay Day, where he turns around to check out another woman in the street while his wife is next to him.

https://twitter.com/peeto_g/status/1006001782248656896

Tom Ryan “fixed” the screenshot by flipping it horizontally, so it resembles more the 2017 “Distracted Boyfriend” meme we all know.

There, fixed it pic.twitter.com/HYHAqp9aq9

— Tom Ryan (@tomdryan) June 11, 2018

I didn’t take long for the people of the Internet to start turning the 1922 scene into a meme. Personally, I like the modern “Distracted Boyfriend” meme, so the vintage one gave me chuckles, too. Especially this “meta” meme:

pic.twitter.com/M4QSF7lwuG

— Hunmik (@hunmik) June 11, 2018

Here are a few other examples:

pic.twitter.com/yvux0YIgbj

— Kris Kerzman (@kriskerzman) June 11, 2018

https://twitter.com/i124nk8/status/1006079221159137281

pic.twitter.com/pXLkR0ZS5W

— Torville Redenbotter (@TravBot) June 11, 2018

pic.twitter.com/Q8cbnRaHlj

— Chris Koss 🔵 (@cwkoss) June 11, 2018

 

sorry if this has been done pic.twitter.com/lAFSceiBLj

— salad gravy (@bragool) June 11, 2018

I see internet memes as a very interesting phenomenon. I guess I’m not the only one, considering that they even sparked some academic research. I believe Antonio Guillem, the photographer behind the original image, couldn’t have ever imagined that his stock photo would turn into internet sensation. And I wonder what Charlie Chaplin would think seeing that his movie from 96 years ago is gaining this weird kind of popularity in the 21st century. : )

[via Paleofuture, Reddit]

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