‘Crazy girlfriend’ meme gives update 13 years after going viral
She went viral for being a “crazy girlfriend”, now years on, the woman behind the infamous meme has detailed the toll it had on her love life.
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You probably don’t know Laina Morris’ name, but chances are you’ll know her face.
The 33-year-old was one of the first people to become a viral meme after posting a video entry for a Justin Bieber competition on Facebook.
In the now-famous video, titled “JB Fanvideo,” Morris delivered a parody version of the singer’s hit song ‘Boyfriend’ that was written the perspective of an obsessive girlfriend.
But it was her wide-eyed and intense eye contact with the camera that saw her image become arguably the most widely circulated photo of 2012 – and ultimately changed the trajectory of her life for good.
Dubbed the “overly attached girlfriend”, Morris’ face became a staple of meme culture, with millions of people posting and resharing a single screenshot of her staring unblinkingly at the camera, often overlaid with various phrases.
Now, 13 years on, she’s spoken out about her decision to stare directly into the camera and the effect that video has had on her life.
“The first 9 seconds of that song is just instrumental, there’s no words, and at the very last second I hit record and I thought, ‘oh, just look directly into the camera and make a creepy face’,” she shared in a new video.
“So I did, I did a big smile and big eyes, I made a face and then I sing the song and I put it on the internet, and my entire life changed.
“I made a funny face, and then nothing was ever the same. Ever again.”
Morris, who quit her popular YouTube channel back in 2019 after battling with mental health issues, went on to state it was actually pretty “terrifying” to experience such a huge, life-altering event that she wasn’t expecting at the age of just 20.
“You can make all the plans in the world, you could have no plan which is scary, and then something could happen at any time that,” she explained.
“You can meet a person, go through a break-up, get a job... something that changes your life completely, takes you in a whole other direction that you weren’t expecting [but] you’ve no idea when it’s going to happen or why.
“It’s kind comforting, but kinda terrifying now when I think about it.”
Morris’ video quickly resonated, with many declaring the woman was now a “part of internet history”.
“What do you mean THIRTEEN years ago?” one asked.
“She laid the foundation for meme culture. You are a living legend,” another declared.
As one agreed: “You made history, because you belong to the very first generation of viral memes.”
“OMG ‘overly attached girlfriend’ grew up,” remarked someone else.
Many simply stated they “felt old” seeing Morris again, noting it felt “insane” it had been more than a decade since her online fame.
“What do you mean 13 years? Wasn’t it like a couple of years ago? I was in high school then,” noted one.
“I still remember when this was EVERYWHERE when it first happened,” said another.
While one said: “It’s so wild how instantly recognisable you are after all these years.”
Despite quitting social media in July 2019, Morris has made a recent return, mostly on TikTok where she has amassed over 560,000 followers with her funny videos.
In a video addressing her recent return, Morris said she has been “fine” since she “broke up” with the internet in a “very dramatic” manner.
“I truly thought I would never post another video ever again, but then I thought it would be cool to share an update,” she explained on YouTube.
“Now I make videos every now and again on Instagram and TikTok, I don’t know why but I am a little embarrassed, but it’s different. I film those on my phone, not with a proper camera.
“But I look back and think, ‘what was I even doing?’”
At the height of her online success, Morris filmed many more parody videos and appeared as a guest in many other YouTube videos.
She also interviewed celebrities on the red carpet at the 2012 American Music Awards and featured in an advert for Delta Air Lines as well as made an appearance on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” according to Business Insider.
As well as battling depression and anxiety, Morris also revealed recently that being the internet’s “crazy girlfriend” had a grim effect on her dating life.
Morris told the ‘Assumptions’ podcast in January that being the face of a toxic girlfriend “was a problem”, stating that once a date was shocked after she showed him the meme.
“That … is you?” he responded, before becoming “very awkward” with her.
The date “ended early” with the person telling her, “I can’t believe I just went on a date with the ‘Overly Attached Girlfriend’.”
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