Your Favorite Hilarious Internet Memes Explained

Internet memes are unpredictable. With new ones appearing every day, you never know what will stand the test of time and what will fizzle out and fade away. These memes, however, feature actual people. Who are they and how did they become a meme?

Suburban Mom
You know the meme — the uptight, hypocritical suburban mom who is the prime example of a helicopter parent and generally all-around unlikable person, right? Well, in this case of this meme, the real life mom is way cooler and definitely the opposite of her prejudiced, racist, ill-tempered graphic. Carly Phillips is suburban mom and says she is not her meme. A writer of romance novels and a mom of two, her May 2011 author photo was taken and used as a meme. Phillips only learned about the fact thanks to a Redditor who shared it with her via Facebook.

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Skeptical Baby
Who doesn’t love the Skeptical Baby meme? With his quizzical expression and questioning head tilt, this baby fits the meme for so many great one-liners. Although most usually begin with “You mean to tell me…” and are followed by a snappy punchline, there are a few variations out there that work oh-so well. Skeptical Baby is actually a pic of little Mason. It was taken by a photographer for the family while they visited the Museum of Natural Sciences back in 2011. After Dad posted the pic to Reddit soon after, the image was swiped, twisted around, and will probably live on forever in eternal memedom.

Senior Freshman

So there is actually a great story behind this meme. The woman in this meme is the Guinness World Record holder as the oldest college graduate. At the age of 95, she graduated from Fort Hays State University. She didn’t stop there. At the age of 98 she earned her masters in Liberal Studies, graduating at the same time as her granddaughter. The meme first made its appearance in 2011 (apparently a magical year for classic memes) and now frequently makes history references.