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Memes

The ‘let me do it for you’ meme, born from heartbreak

‘”Cellophane” was never meant for FKA Twigs. It was meant for Miss Piggy.’

Photo of Natasha Dubash

Natasha Dubash

'Let me do it for you': meme (with picture of borzoi)

Every so often a meme takes a hold of the internet and won’t let go. One such example is the “Let me do it for you” meme, which often features a dog with a very long nose. If you’ve found yourself wondering about the meaning and origin of this strange internet artifact, here’s everything you need to know about it.

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How the ‘let me do it for you’ meme began

The “let me do it for you” meme started with an FKA Twigs song called “Cellophane,” which she released as a lead single from her 2019 album Magdalene. The song received widespread acclaim, with many praising Twigs’ dazzling vocals.

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But then, Instagram user @boyfriend.dick3 (now @boyfriend.dick5) posted a parody cover of the song to their stories, singing the first few lines of the song in the voice of Miss Piggy from The Muppets, as if to Kermit, her lover.

The voice audio later made its way to YouTube, and then to TikTok where it was remixed with the original instrumentals of the song. This new remix became a viral original sound on the social media app. 

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How the meme spread

One of the earliest and most popular uses of the sound came from TiKtoker @siddharth.jay, who captioned his post “i can’t quite describe it. miss piggy’s voice. I can see her weeping while singing this, weighed by the duality of never being enough and being too much at the same time. Cellophane was never meant for FKA twigs. It was meant for miss piggy.” The post received 290,000 views in two months.

@siddharth.jay #cellophane #misspiggy

Other users began to hop on the trend. TikToker @adannaduru posted herself singing the song in a similar voice to Miss Piggy, and gained over 869,000 views in six days.

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@adannaduru #cellophane #misspiggy ♬ original sound – adanna duru

Evolution: The Borzoi addition

Later, in December 2022, TikTok account @sugarthesilken posted a video of a sad-looking dog in a bath using the sound. The post garnered 9.9 million views in one month. Other dog accounts, especially Borzois and similar-looking dogs, began to make similar videos.

@sugarthesilken

sad bath

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In January 2023, the meme experienced a boost in its popularity when TikToker @drawzillazzz posted an original animation of a Borzoi helping its owner get to the bottom of a Pringles can of chips. The post, which used the sound, garnered over 45 million views in four days. 

@drawzillazzz How long can the nose go? #borzoi #borzoidog #longdog #pringlescanhands #pringles #animationmeme #animated #fypシ

Borzois are a breed of hunting dog that originated in Russia, known for their long snouts, which some social media users edited to look even longer than they are. Users also started to use three dots to turn generic household items into a face that was reminiscent of the dog breed, accompanied by the sound.

@kelseyandhoney Handsome boy #pencildog #longnose #roughcollie
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Although the pairing of the sound and the dogs was unusual, it quickly took over online and became a wholesome dog meme.

Eventually, the meme became so popular, even brands like Starbucks hopped on the trend.

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