Why the ‘Tag a Mate’ meme trend is anything but ‘hilarious’
THEY are the memes that are supposed to be a funny, light hearted jab at your friends on Facebook. But there’s a callous side to this “hilarious” trend.
THEY are the memes that are supposed to be funny and light hearted knock at your friends on Facebook.
But the recent trend of ‘Tag a Mate’ images are anything but — they are cruel jabs, and simply put — a disguised form of bullying on social media.
For those who haven’t had one of these memes pop up in their Facebook feed, the idea is a pretty simple one.
The image, which is usually of someone who doesn’t fit society’s typical view of ‘beauty’, may be overweight or feature someone with a disfigurement, asks you to tag a friend in the comments box.
A number of Facebook pages appear to be responsible for creating and sharing the images, including one meme that takes aim at motivational speaker, Lizzie Velasquez.
Earlier this week, Ms Velasquez — who was once shamed online as being “the ugliest woman in the world” — became the face of one of these callous social media memes.
The image read: “Michael said he would meet me behind this tree for a bit of fun. He’s running late, would someone please tag him and tell him I’m still waiting?”
While many see the meme as harmless fun, Ms Velasquez — who suffers from a rare disorder known as Marfan Syndrome and Lipodystrophy — said the people featured in these images would see them as anything but “hilarious”.
“I’ve seen a ton of memes like this all over Facebook recently. I’m writing this post not as someone who is a victim but as someone who is using their voice,” she wrote on her Instagram page.
“I do so as a reminder that the innocent people that are being put in these memes are probably up just as late scrolling through Facebook and feeling something that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
“No matter what we look like or what size we are, at the end of the day we are all human.”
At just 17, Ms Velasquez found out she was “the ugliest woman in the world” via a YouTube video that popped up on her screen while she was searching for video clips.
“It was a video titled ‘the world’s ugliest woman’, and it was a video of me,” the 26-year-old told news.com.au
“I was crushed. You can imagine how I felt. I was confused, upset, hurt and angry — but then I read the comments.”
Ms Velasquez, who as part of her condition is unable to store fat in her body, pleaded with social media users to boycott these memes when they surface on Facebook.
“I ask that you keep that in mind the next time you see a viral meme of a random stranger. At the time you might find it hilarious but the human in the photo is probably feeling the exact opposite,” she wrote.
Ms Velasquez’s post, which received more that 28,000 likes and 2700 comments, was met with praise and support in response to the memes — including her own mother.
“As Lizzie’s mum this hurts beyond words. But I stand with you to say spread love PLEASE. Love you Lizzie!’ she wrote.
“I never thought of it this way b4 [sic], it kinda makes me think the next time I look at memes,” another user added.
“People can be cruel and sick but with kind hearted and positive people like you, we can make a difference.
“If there were more people like you and fewer of the morons creating and sharing these awful memes, the world would be a much better place.”
