The “Really, Right In Front Of My” meme consists of a simple drawing of an angry guy holding a plate full of whatever ends that sentence. The joke was presumably derived from the “right in front of my salad” clip that took off as a meme in 2017, but made to diversify what the supposedly offensive act could be in front of.
The exact origins of the newer meme are unclear, but some believe that it came from social media networks in the Philippines.
Meme basics:
- Meme Creator: Unknown
- Meme Type: Reaction image / Exploitable
- First Appearance: 2019 or earlier
- Origin Source: Unknown (earliest known: Facebook)
- Used to Convey: Ironic outrage
- Peak Popularity: April 2024
What is the ‘Really, Right In Front Of My’ meme?
This simple meme depicts a little guy with angry eyebrows drawn in MS Paint and holding a plain white plate badly Photoshopped into the image. The text above him reads, “Really? Right in front of my”, leaving space for the subject matter. Most of the time, that subject is also added onto the plate.
The gag can be used to express real but often at least semi-ironic outrage on a topic. For example, someone might respond to a video or image of someone doing something dangerous at work with the meme saying “really, right in front of my OSHA handbook?”
Other social media users have added anything and everything to the plate just to be silly or to reference something notable from their favorite work of fiction.
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Origins and spread
The earliest example of the “Really, Right In Front Of My” meme available publicly online is from Aug. 12, 2021, on the Facebook account of Alvin Anacta. In this version, the character is holding a dish of rice, egg, and shrimp, and saying, “Really? Right in front of my pancit canton?”
Pancit Canton is a well-known Filipino dish, which may have led to or at least fueled rumors that the real origins of the meme exist on Filipino social media networks. In the following months, it spread to Twitter, Reddit, and Tumblr, gaining significant traction in fandom spaces.
Right in front of my salad?
In 2017, meme lovers got ahold of a gay porn compilation from Men.com and clipped out a safe-for-work moment in which a woman tries to enjoy a salad. As she eats, the chef and the man who hired him begin to do what people do in pornography, and she doesn’t find it appetizing.
“Are you serious?!” she says. “Right in front of my salad?”
In May 2021, the woman who would become known as “salad girl” spoke with the Daily Dot about her sudden fame thanks to the meme.
“I have been getting a lot of interviews and my following has been going up,” she reported. “I love it because people are so funny and positive. It’s a great thing.”
The clip became a GIF and then an image that spread from Tumblr to other social media where people used it to object to anything they didn’t like. Why someone decided to forego this format in favor of the Paint drawing is unclear, but the connection between the two is pretty obvious.
‘Really, Right In Front Of My’ meme examples
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