Among the thousands of crude and sometimes inflammatory memes circulating social media are a specific meme group that serve the purpose of making people feel happy, sentimental, and validated. These are the new trend of “wholesome memes” and their creators just want you to know they care. They’re not sarcastic and they’re not ironic. To be honest, they’re probably the realest thing we’ve seen in a while.
Where did “wholesome memes” come from? If there’s anything we know about the Internet, it’s that the origins of any of its phenomena are often muddled and ambiguous. In the past five or so years, humor prevailed the social media landscape in a way that was often relatable but self-deprecating. It reminded us of our deeply-seated insecurities and assured us we weren’t the only ones who felt alone and ugly. It’s as if the Internet has come of age with the rest of our cohort and such memes are beginning to fade in light of a new and matured meme era that reminds us we’re not as limited or sad as we once thought.
Wholesome memes don’t give us the false impression that we’re the best at whatever we do, or that we are a reflection of our highest hopes and goals, the ones that may or may not be achievable now as reality unveils its quirks to us. But they recognize our humanity and acknowledge the significance of our relationships, self-care, and the simple pleasures of life. Most importantly, they tell us we’re valid - the sticky note on our dresser we read every day to reassure our place in the world exists for a reason even when we don’t see it.
Anybody can curate a sense of relatability from some mundane life event or reaction the majority of people have experienced at some point. It takes a special kind of person to utilize the Internet’s ever changing Zeitgeist as a tool to promote solidarity and encouragement while understanding the unintended negative disposition of its audience formed by a multitude of factors. Things in life will annoy and anger us, but what anchors our sanity are the things that make us feel good even when they’re overlooked. Good people exist just as much as judgmental people and people who don’t use their turn signal.
Whether or not wholesome memes are a purposefully rebellious response to the ongoing meme trends, their impact is a good one. It’s hard to ironically criticize a trend that is genuinely meant to be uplifting without exploiting an ulterior purpose. Some popular memes have the ability to inadvertently make us feel better about our own being when the subject of such memes are people like “Howbow Dah Girl.” Wholesome memes provide us with that same satisfaction without being at the expense of another individual or idea - we should feel good about ourselves because we’re allowed to.
No, wholesome meme creators just want you to know you deserve to be happy with yourself and to try your best at life. That's what life is about, friend. Now make sure you get some rest.
