Are you holding space for all these ‘Defying Gravity’ Wicked memes?

The infamous "Holding Space For Defying Gravity" interview about the 2024 film Wicked continues to collect memes through the final week of November. Last week, Twitter entered a state of collective confusion over a clip from a discussion with two of the film's stars in which Cynthia Erivo had a visceral reaction to the idea that people were moved by the song.

The actress's emotional reaction to the vague notion of "holding space" for decades-old lyrics resulted in a whole new meme as people kept making jokes, and the trend hasn't died down yet.

What is 'Holding Space For Defying Gravity' from?

The phrase "holding space" in the context of the Wicked song "Defying Gravity" comes from Out Magazine reporter Tracey E. Gilchrist as she interviewed Erivo and Ariana Grande during the press tour.

“I’ve seen, this week, people are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that,” she said. “And feeling power in that.”

Erivo reacted with a gasp, said she didn't know, and called the idea "really powerful." Grande, meanwhile, apparently tried to support her by grabbing her forefinger and holding space for that. The comedic strangeness of it all was underscored by Gilchrist admitting that she had only seen this on "a couple posts."

What does it even mean?

The subject matter of Out Magazine and the demographics of Wicked fans suggest that Gilchrist meant people were interpreting the lyrics of "Defying Gravity" as a queer anthem about coming out or generally refusing to hide oneself any longer. This interpretation has existed for over 20 years.

The age of the song further adds to the joke, with people wondering how Erivo was unaware that the LGBTQ+ community feels this way about it. Many of the memes also seem to poke fun at the use of what might be considered progressive language in the phrase "holding space" and exaggerating one's reverence for the concept.

Tracey E. Gilchrist reacts to the memes

This week, Gilchrist spoke with Variety to explain what she meant by "holding space" and let the world know how she feels about the memes.

"'Holding space' is being physically, emotionally, and mentally present with someone or something," she says. "For me, it means being in the moment, not being distracted and feeling something on a cellular level. "I think you can hold space with lyrics of a song – one you’ve heard hundreds of times – and it can suddenly take on new meaning when you’re a queer person."

She went on to suggest that the lyrics of "Defying Gravity" may be taking on new power in the wake of the 2024 election and dismissed the "haters" who think she's taking things too seriously. In general, however, she's loving the jokes and the fact that people are "finding joy in it and laughing."

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Related memes:

• Wicked’ character posters revive ‘Zendaya is Meechee’ memes: ‘Welcome back’
• The ‘Queen Never Cry’ meme has all the babes locked in
• The Black Solo Polyamorous Hijabi Amputee is tearing social media apart

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