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Lifestyle
Monika Pašukonytė

39 Hysterical Memes That Perfectly Sum Up 2023

For some, 2023 went by at the speed of lighting. For others, it was as slow as a snail. Nonetheless, it ended. But before doing so, it left quite an important mark on pop culture and internet culture's history. From "Barbenheimer" to Twitter's rebrand to X or even the new RickRoll emergence - a lot has happened. So, today, let's take a trip through some of the most memorable memes from last year. And don't forget to vote on your favorite ones! 

#1 With The Rise Of Chatgpt, The Jokes About It Rose As Well

Image credits: LocalBateman

#2 A Video Of Pedro Pascal Eating Described Many Of Us In Various Situations

Image credits: OKWildlifeDept

#3 Wildfires In Canada Painted New York's Sky Orange

Image credits: ThePlanetaryGuy

As you might notice while looking through this 2023-defining list, there are quite a few related to anything to do with “girls” or other activities that are viewed as feminine. For example, "girl dinner”, “girl math”, the popularity of “Barbie” and so on. Well, it has to do with the fact that 2023 saw a rise of “girlification.” 

The act of assigning activities or things for the girls quickly found its place in today’s pop culture and internet slang. Basically, this act signifies the need for collectiveness. To put it in simpler terms, this makes people on the internet, mostly women, feel united with others who enjoy similar things as they do. 

Using the word “girl” to be a sign of solidarity originated in African American Vernacular English (AAVE), as Black women tend to mark their unity by calling each other girls. So, when using this term, it is important to acknowledge its origins.

#4 Erykah Badu's And Usher's Outfits Were Very Memeable

Image credits: kirawontmiss

#5 Barbie Thinking About Death Apparently Was Very Relatable

Image credits: hifortesa

#6 Theatrical Release Of "Barbie" And "Oppenheimer" Caused Barbenheimer

Image credits: AbbyHiggs

On the other hand, some say that activities and things being assigned to girls are a capitalistic brand move. This way they straightforwardly set out what kind of audience they expect and for whom the product is meant. Or it could be used to subvert their expectations, which can also be useful for a brand. 

But the "girlification" trend of 2023 is way more than simply a marketing move. The rise of girl activities and things in recent times, especially on the internet, symbolizes women and girls reclaiming things they have been discouraged from. They shake off the shame that once was put on them for liking traditionally feminine hobbies. This girlification aims to enjoy femininity without it being a sign of belonging to the “lesser” gender. 

Have you participated in the "girl" trends this year? What motivated you to do so? Or maybe you didn't like these trends? Then why so?

#7 Rihanna's Superbowl Performance Was Not Only Awesome, But Memeable As Well

Image credits: BaileyCarlin

#8 Crying Barbie From "Barbie" Movie

Image credits: Targ_Nation

#9 We All Thought Of The Roman Empire A Lot

Image credits: kurtisconner

#10 Boy Math As A Contrast To Girl Math

Image credits: RaeWitte

#11 "Mojo Dojo Casa House" From "Barbie" Movie

Image credits: mishricci

#12 Chinese Spy Balloon Being Shot Over The Atlantic Ocean Delivered Amusing Reactions Online

Image credits: KevinSussman

#13 The Discourse Of Nepo Babies

Image credits: amyewong

#14 Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Not Only Broke Some Records, But Created Some Amusing Memes

Image credits: spilling_wine13

#15 We All Shared Canon Events From Our Lives

Image credits: leylanocontext

#16 Twitter Becoming X Gathered Quite A Lot Of Mixed Reactions Online

Image credits: sixofsongbirds

#17 Elon Musk Removed Blue Check From Important People On Twitter

Image credits: timjhogan

#18 Elon Musk Decided To Limit Daily Tweets And People Memed It

Image credits: SupaDupaQQ

#19 The Coronation Of Charles III Turned Out To Be A Perfect Source For Memes

Image credits: ItsJoshFeldman

#20 Timothée Chalamet's Performance As Willy Wonka Was Very Interesting

Image credits: Trey_Explainer

#21 Snacky Trend Of "Girl Dinner"

Image credits: nandinipatell

#22 Anabelle's Title Of The Creepiest Doll Was Threatened By Megan

Image credits: cxrodge

#23 Motto "Kenough" From "Barbie" Movie

Image credits: GratThemeParks

#24 Ken's Job Being "Beach" In The "Barbie" Movie

Image credits: keelyflaherty

#25 Kevin James As A Meme Describing A Variety Of Situations

Image credits: gracesftdt

#26 Mschf Released Chunky Red Boots And Nearly Everyone Was Thinking About Them

Image credits: FilledwithUrine

#27 Boy Dinner As A Contrast To Girl Dinner

Image credits: u/rabotcorserj80

#28 Prince Harry's Book Was A Bit Traumatizing

Image credits: munyachawawa

#29 Embracing Girlhood Was A Wholesome Trend Of 2023

Image credits: maybeeevirgo

#30 Video Of A Cop Falling On A Slide In Boston Turned Out To Be Very Funny And Produced A Lot Of Memes

Image credits: SQDMLKR

#31 Girl Math Proved To Be A Very Enjoyable Way To Look At Finances

Image credits: iamsashakae

#32 Grimace Taunted People With His McDonald's Shake

Image credits: McDonalds

#33 Every Woman (Or Barbie) Can Be Anything, And Every Man Is Just Ken

Image credits: Danielasalbe

#34 Mark Zuckerberg Declared A War Between X And Threads

Image credits: finkd

#35 Jennifer Lawrence's "What Do You Mean???" Saying Became An Internet Slang Staple

Image credits: flacioventrismo

#36 Josh Hutcherson Became A New Rickroll

Image credits: aphelioncas

#37 Nicki Minaj's Fans Took A Chance To Honor Her New Album "Gag City" With AI Creations

Image credits: gh0sst1n

#38 Angela Basset Did The Thing!

Image credits: korndiddy

#39 A Lot Of Us Were Captivated By The Song "Planet Of The Bass"

Image credits: vampiresodas

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