Melissa HerreraFollow

Date Collected

Fall 11-2017

Informant

Myself

Point of Discovery/Informant Bio

My name is Melissa Herrera and I am a Junior at Utah State University. Majoring in Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science (ADVS). I was born in Anaheim, California, but moved to Logan, Utah, when I was nine years old. Needless to say, choosing to attend USU was an easy choice. I work as a Veterinary Technician (Not Certified), and I am a member of Alpha Chi Omega, Beta Xi chapter here at USU. You will find me on my phone scrolling through Facebook, iFunny App, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.

Context

While skimming through my Pinterest feed Newsfeed, I was on my phone and waiting for the bus. I came across this meme and clicked on a link which took me to the website, knowyourmeme.com. After searching through the website it seemed they research the meme and when it first appeared and when it is used. This made it very likely that the page did not create the meme, but instead found it. The meme is known as “Math Lady” or also known as “Confused Lady”. The “lady” is, in fact, Renata Sorrah who is playing a character from the telenovela “Senhora do Destino”, a popular show in Brazil. The meme first appeared as a gif of the actress appearing confused “being used as a reaction image is from October 31st, 2013, when UKMix forum poster CrazyCrazy” (knowyourmeme.com). The meme above usually incorporates some sort of complex mathematical equation, hence giving the title “Math Lady”.

Texture

The attitude of this meme is funny. Base on her facial expression you get a clear sense of confusion. Which is an emotion everyone has encountered countless times throughout their lives, most likely using the same type of facial expression. I think this meme is generally used humorously, with math not being everyone's strong suit you see the most confusion when trying to solve a complicated math problem. Through gaining popularity, we begin to see slightly different memes but with the same concepts of confusion and a math equation placed in front of the individual. Nevertheless, these memes are not as popular compared to the original. I experienced difficulty tracking down the original owner since I found them meme on Pinterest which was connected through a link to knowyourmeme.com, who give detailed reports of the memes, they do not create them. I believe the reason this meme gained popularity quickly was how relatable it is to the audience. It also holds a sense of familiarity because we all have been confused about something one way or another.

Course

Introduction to Folklore/English 2210

Instructor

Dr. Lynne McNeill

Semester and year

Fall 2017

Theme

G9: Internet Memes

EAD Number

5.32

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