Memes and Minorities
I’ve been working on a story about a certain group of internet celebrities. (I’m keeping the subject a secret till the article comes out in the next two weeks.) Throughout my research I’ve noticed two phenomenons: memes are always female and/or gay, and internet celebrities hate when journalists call them internet famous. It’s logical that women and members of the lgbt community turn to the internet to express themselves. Neither group has many venues to express themselves. Sure, there’s OUT and ‘women’s magazines,’ but since when did they publish or write about anyone outside the safety zone of straightened hair and Lady Gaga? I think memes’ refusal to acknowledge that they’re internet famous comes from annoyance, that although they’re famous—okay, let’s get real, infamous—memes are still banned from traditional fame. Chris Crocker couldn’t even get a fucking reality TV show, guys. That’s fucked up.
