Greta Thunberg

What is visible in the frame

The shot is a close-up taken from the side: a girl in a pink blouse with a braided plait stands against a blue background, with a microphone in front of her. Her brows are drawn together, her eyes are narrowed, and her mouth is slightly open in an angry grimace, teeth visible. The frame caught the most emotional moment of the speech.

Because of this facial expression, the photo can be used as a reaction of outrage, and for that you don't need to know the context. However, the speech itself dealt with a serious topic, and it's worth remembering that the meme captured one moment of a large speech.

The September 23, 2019 Speech

Greta Thunberg spoke at the UN Climate Summit in New York. She was sixteen at the time; in August 2018 she had first gone out in front of the Swedish parliament building with a sign about a school strike, at the age of fifteen. The speech became one of her most quoted.

The core of the speech was the phrase “How dare you?” She said that world leaders had stolen her dreams and her childhood with empty words, spoke of mass extinction, and said that politicians talk only about money and fairy tales of endless economic growth. These words became headlines, and the video spread across social media from the very day of the speech.

How the memes appeared

Memes appeared shortly after the speech. Reportedly, one of the triggers was that a well-known video blogger invited viewers to make remixes on a green-screen background, and photos of the angry face began to be captioned with all kinds of jokes, for example about waking up after a party.

A separate strand is connected with the reaction of the U.S. president: he wrote on Twitter that Greta looks like a very happy girl who is looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. The next day she changed her profile description to the same wording. This story also became a reason for jokes online. The dispute around her drew both sharp criticism and support, so the template is used in different ways.

Caption examples

“When someone in the chat writes: let's call about a trifle” — the angry face turns an everyday trifle into a world-scale event.

“Me, for the hundredth time reminding everyone about the deadline” — a meme about a person whose patience is running out.

“My cat when I was late with the food” — playful outrage with no real consequences.

“When the delivery brought the wrong thing” — a small tragedy presented in a pompous tone.

How to use the template and what to avoid

The template works on contrast: a solemn or furious face against a minor occasion. The smaller the problem, the funnier the pathos looks. The caption should describe the author's situation, not the heroine herself.

Don't use the frame to mock the appearance, age, or health of a real person. Jokes of this kind have nothing to do with the meaning of the meme and turn into harassment. If a caption mocks the climate agenda, remember that the meme grew out of a serious speech, and it's better to pick a more neutral occasion.