Man, this really resonated with me. One of my pictures went somewhat viral (became a meme) about 2 years ago and I have had really mixed emotions about it. Mine wasn't even bad - just a mildly amusing, slightly embarrassing picture of myself. I consider myself pretty thick-skinned & generally don't get butthurt about a few jokes at my expense, but some of the hateful shit people posted could make anyone insecure. I'm just glad there were only a few - I can't imagine what this girl went through. Great post, thanks for sharing.
I can't imagine being a poster boy for whatever the meme represents, whether positive or negative. The amount of scrutiny an image goes through when viewed by so many people...glad your experience was at least tolerable. On a related note, there was a kid I knew in my teens, heavy set kid with obvious confidence issues and in turn ended up being a relatively unpleasant guy from my minor experience. Never held anything against him really, though as the mean kids we are, he was definitely the butt of a few jokes. Anyways, several years later I remember browsing google images and finding his face(from youth) on a negative meme. That was a really weird moment. I initially laughed, but it was strange. As badly as I wanted to share with a few friends I personally didn't want it to spread. Maturity/respect I guess? I was also happy it wasn't me as my youth wasn't pretty either. So strange when things are turned to a more personal perspective. Thankfully I never saw it again. That story was extremely anti-climatic! Oh well :)
Good on you for not sharing it. I used to make fun of people in middle school; looking back on it just fills me with regret though. It took someone I mocked to start crying before I even realized how mean I was being. I do try to be a better person on the outside, but I can't help but having cruel thoughts every now and again.