Guy in Yellow Glasses

Blurred joy

The photo was taken in motion: the face and hands are smeared, so the sense of energy is almost physical. The man is smiling broadly, a row of white teeth is visible, and he wears a dark cap. The yellow glasses with tinted lenses sit low on his nose, and his left hand in the foreground, blurred in the frame, looks as if it has just adjusted the frame or is about to take it off. His clothes are light beige, and the background is dark and indistinct.

The blur actually helps the meme. The viewer does not study the details but reads the emotion as a whole: triumphant laughter, light excitement, the feeling of “I pulled it off”.

Where the photo comes from

According to meme catalogs, the photo was posted on Twitter on September 1, 2018 by musician Mui Fresco, and he is the one in the picture. It first gained popularity a few days later, when the snapshot was used in a joke about the controversy over the Nike ad campaign with Colin Kaepernick. The post gathered tens of thousands of reposts, after which the picture became fixed as a reaction to lucky or gloating news.

The name “guy in yellow glasses” remains a folk name: it describes what can be seen, not the history of the photo. For the meme, what matters is not the man's name but his facial expression and the image of a person who is pleased with what is happening.

A paired meme about a change of mood

This picture is most often placed next to another image in which the hero looks upset, crying or downcast. This creates a “it was bad, now it's good” pattern, or the reverse, “everyone was sobbing, and I'm rejoicing”. The meaning is often built on schadenfreude or relief rather than calm happiness: the man in the glasses is too pleased for it to look innocent.

Because of this, the template is handy for jokes about the mismatch of feelings among different groups of people: some are upset, others are celebrating. The contrast of two pictures in one caption tells the whole story without any text.

Caption examples

Captions are best built to emphasize a sharp change of mood. All the variants are invented for illustration.

“They said there's a test tomorrow. Then they announced it had been cancelled.” The second half of the joke shows instant relief, and the wide smile seems to confirm that the news is too good.

“Everyone is looking for a parking spot at the mall. Me, who found one right at the entrance.” Here the happiness is almost boastful, and the blurred shot gives it the flavor of a victory run.

“When a friend said they'd pay for dinner, and then it turned out they meant themselves.” On the contrary, the joy turns out to be premature, and the picture works as irony at one's own expense.

“The forecast promised rain all day. Sun by lunch.” A small everyday victory, understandable without further explanation.

How to use the template

The meme works better when the reason for joy is small but bright. Overly serious events weaken the effect, because the smile in the frame looks slightly manic. Short captions also help: one line with a twist is enough for the picture to work.

If a caption contains two states, put the negative one first and the positive one second. The viewer has time to feel sympathy, and the flash of joy in the picture is perceived more strongly.