Four men from Birmingham, UK, have become very well-known on social media ever since an image they posted began spiralling the internet.
Now known as the ‘four lads meme’, the image has once again begun to pop up on our social media feeds.
Read below to find out just why this meme has stayed so popular.
What is the meme and how did it originate?
The ‘four lads meme’ had originally gone viral online as it accurately represents 21st century British youth culture.
The image is thought to stereotype British lads and was previously posted on Twitter in relation to men who drink WKD. However, it was also used regarding stereotyped-opinions:
@BoxeoDeBlog ‘s tweet suggests that the men would have a particular view on a popular sporting event:
In terms of some real context behind the photograph; the four lads had this image taken at the start of a night out in Birmingham, July 2019. They were stood outside New Street Station, before shortly making their way to Slug & Lettuce and Olivia’s.
Once the night out was over, Connor had posted the image onto his Instagram account, paired with the caption:
“Tight trousers chose us”
Ever since, the image has been used to accompany memes all over the internet.
Who are the four men in the photograph and what do they think about it?
The boys in the photograph are Connor Humpage, Kevin Rooney and Jamie Phillips. Along with their friend in the middle who told an interview carried out by The Tab (7 months ago), that he wanted to remain anonymous due to being the target of more personal abuse online.
Despite receiving some nasty comments, the guys originally found the memes quite funny.
However, the image was then used alongside a tweet referring to a negative opinion on the #BlackLivesMatter movement:
The Tab reports that Connor then took to his Instagram to clarify that the meme is by no means their views.
Why is this meme trending again?
The meme has begun trending again since it is now being associated with the pandemic, Twitter user @Potnoodlefringe referred to the lads as the type to say this stereotypical phrase:
The popular meme was also referred to in @bobby_bell ‘s recent tweet:
The Twitter user @KyleHogan98, also recently took to his platform to laugh about the origin of the meme, this tweet has now gained 40K likes and 1,194 retweets in just 2 days:
What do you think about the popular meme? Humorous or horrible?