January: The Bernie Sanders at the Inauguration Memes
“This could’ve been an email” pic.twitter.com/kn68z6eDhY
— Ashley K. (@AshleyKSmalls) January 20, 2021
Joe Biden became the 46th US president on the 20th of January in an inauguration that was overshadowed by a photo of Bernie Sanders, who was sitting cross-legged on a folding chair, wearing fluffy hand-knitted mittens. Some may think this meme’s impact was greater than perhaps it should have been. But merch was dropped, with Sanders himself selling sweatshirts featuring the photograph to raise money for charity.
February: The Weeknd Super Bowl Halftime Show Memes
Me trying to find the exit in IKEA pic.twitter.com/eJVas7q7DM
— B 🇵🇸🍉 (Stop using REPLY ALL!!!) (@californiabarby) February 8, 2021
The next wave of the year’s best memes are already rolling in, thanks to the Super Bowl, and, more specifically, The Weeknd’s wildly over-the-top halftime performance. During his set, the artist ran through pretty much all of his biggest hits while sporting a bedazzled red blazer and black leather gloves. In sum, it was 15 minutes’ worth of ideal fodder for memes.
March: The Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Oprah Interview Memes
when you leave things for tomorrow and tomorrow arrives pic.twitter.com/hSmglFZOz4
— Shafeeq (@Y2SHAF) March 9, 2021
Who’s given us more memorable TV moments than Oprah? The latest proof is her interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, which drew over 17 million viewers, and inspired at least that many memes by now. Oprah’s constantly evolving look of disbelief almost stole the spotlight from her guests though, and now, they underscore the power of stupid memes.
April: The “Don’t be surprised if one day I just…” Memes
https://twitter.com/66Ir1ne66/status/1387650509855621120
Twitter and TikTok regulars – you know what’s good, for sure. The idea behind this trend was originally to share what your desired aesthetic was for your future. Some people show pictures of different aesthetics that can include pictures of immaculate mansions, while others show pictures of a normal suburban lifestyle. Some people have even gotten sarcastic with this trend and use a montage of pictures of dads wearing stereotypical dad clothes.
May: The Early Pride 2021 Memes
happy early pride to this tweet pic.twitter.com/OJMgfanRq9
— amelia’m ☀️ (@ylissebian) May 27, 2021
June is Pride month. And to help the community celebrate pride in all its glory, there were a bazillion hilarious early Pride month memes posted every day on the platform from late May to early June. I mean – what other ways to get the spirit of LGBTQ+ queerness going, right?
June: The Vin Diesel Family Memes
Vin Diesel in John Wick universe. pic.twitter.com/MATwe9FRnh
— Shivam (@ShivamParker) July 5, 2021
The meme came just in time for the release of F9, the ninth instalment in the Fast franchise. In case you’ve never watched the films, they always manage to drive home the message that family is everything and no one gets left behind. And of course, the people on the Internet just can’t not make memes of everything, and had Vin Diesel posted all over the internet back.
July: The Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst Spider-Man Memes
he said no pickles! pic.twitter.com/Vq8xtKpDbZ
— lucky (@lucky_swamps) August 27, 2021
The image involves Dunst as Mary Jane looking behind her as she answers her boss from the diner where she works, who had just interrupted a conversation between her and love interest Peter Parker. However, the scene has been reinterpreted by those funny folks on the internet who have instead flipped the scene to make it appear that Mary Jane is defending Peter’s choices, who does, in all fairness, look quite forlorn and sad in the image.
August: The Delta Variant Memes
My fall plans The Delta variant pic.twitter.com/FmPS4tyVPn
— Carlos Aguilar (@Carlos_Film) August 12, 2021
With the global coronavirus pandemic dragging on for far too long, a new edition of COVID-19 memes, ‘My fall plans vs the Delta variant’ meme took over the internet in August. The newest COVID-19 meme format pairs two pictures: one representing people’s plans and the other the cause of why it was hampered or ruined. The memes, which are sad, yet relatable, are so on-point.
September: The Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala Memes
me and my anxiety when i go out #MetGala #MetGala2021 pic.twitter.com/nqP8JQ2Fc3
— kristen🌞 (@kristen_siebs) September 14, 2021
Kim Kardashian’s all-black, full-body covering look was the Internet’s new favourite meme in September. So, if you’re in need of a good laugh or just want to see what people really thought about Kim K’s look, all you gotta do is search “Kim Kardashian Met Gala” on Twitter, and boom! Happy scrolling.
October: The Squid Game Memes
me starting squid game vs me after squid game #SquidGame pic.twitter.com/3U3J57r3iH
— eunhax💜 (@purplemintx) September 23, 2021
The Netflix show is serious, but the jokes that came out of it? Got us wheezing. And the meme is pretty self-explanatory. We thought the show was bubbly and all considering that the participants would be playing childhood games, but… yeah…
November: The Happy Side, Sad Side Bus Memes
https://twitter.com/frequentpuker/status/1461352295086448641
Two people are passengers on a bus – one sitting in a seat that’s facing the bitter, bleak mountainside while the other is taking in the sunshine and rolling hills. The way the meme works is that you put both passengers in the same situation, but each approach it differently – one in a way that makes them miserable and the other in a way that helps them live their best life. And we still don’t know why what started as an inspiration illustration from 2013 became one of the memes 2021 ended on.
December: The Spotify Wrapped Memes
SPOTIFY WRAPPED: uhhhh i think someone understood the assignment, and that someone was YOU!
ME: *silently staring at the saddest combination of music i’ve ever seen*
— Matt Buechele (@mattbooshell) December 1, 2021
Ah, Spotify Wrapped. Our annual bombardment of personal musical intel that nobody asked for. After Spotify launched its annual Wrapped campaign, social media users did what they did best in 2021: roast it. But for some, a year spent in lockdown meant their playlist wasn’t quite as expected.
