Stock Photo Viral Sensation
Distracted Boyfriend - stock photo of man checking out another woman while girlfriend looks disgusted - became 2017’s most versatile meme template for depicting temptation, distraction, and poor decisions.
The image: Antonio Guillem’s 2015 stock photo; man looking at woman in red while girlfriend in blue glares
Meme explosion (August 2017): Twitter users labeling subjects; “Me,” “Netflix,” “Responsibilities” format
Versatility: Perfect for any scenario involving choosing between two options, distraction, infidelity metaphors
Variations: Three people labeled with relatable modern dilemmas; political commentary; brand marketing
Stock photo series: Guillem’s full photo series showing story (girlfriend leaves, returns, couple reunites) discovered later
Awards: 2018 Webby Awards “Meme of the Year”; mainstream media coverage
Brand adoption: Companies using template for marketing; saturation point reached
Decline: Late 2018 oversaturation; replaced by newer templates (Drake Hotline Bling already existed)
Legacy: Demonstrated stock photos’ meme potential; Antonio Guillem became “meme model”
Cultural impact: “Distracted boyfriend” entered vocabulary as shorthand for poor prioritization
Distracted Boyfriend proves simple, relatable visual templates dominate meme culture - labeling format enabling infinite variations.
Sources:
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/distracted-boyfriend
https://www.vox.com/