Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
indy100
indy100
Entertainment
Breanna Robinson

27 of the best ‘we used to be a real country’ memes that’ll make you feel nostalgic

Mysteries 1970s fare

(Picture: Imgflip)

The catchphrase “We Used To Be A Country. A Proper Country” has made waves on social media.

But if you are unfamiliar with where it stemmed from, you’ve come to the right place.

The phrase originated from a Twitter post on December 2.

People were originally baffled by it, with some speculating that it had a pandemic-themed message and the tweeter was trying to show how much better life used to be in America without masks.

The account, @DarnelSugarfoo, posted the tweet that showed an image of an American 7-Eleven photographed in 1973 with the caption, “We used to be a country. A proper country.”

But people pointed out just how limited life was back then, with one pointing out that the woman in the image may have struggled to get a credit card in her own name due to misogyny, and the lack of racial diversity in the image.

The first variants of the meme occurred within the replies of the original tweet, where Twitter users started pairing the catchphrase with other images depicting strange, nostalgic bits of American culture.

One parody meme, which was posted on December 4, showed a hot dog and jello cake mold cake that’s said to be from 1973.

People on Twitter took it up a step further, sharing pictures of nostalgic shows, games, dolls, restaurants and more, further suggesting how the US used to be “a proper country.”

Here at Indy100, we rounded up 27 of the best memes that will help with a trip down memory lane.

Check them out below:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.