Distracted Boyfriend
what it means
Three labels, one image: the man, the girlfriend he's ignoring, and the woman he's looking at. It became the default template for any "tempted by something new" joke.
A stock photo meme used to show someone abandoning one thing for a more tempting alternative.
the origin story
A 2015 stock photo by Antonio Guillem, which went viral as a meme template in 2017.
It became one of the most-used object-labelling formats ever, appearing in advertising, academic slides and political commentary. Sweden's advertising ombudsman even ruled on a version of it, which is a rare fate for a meme.
in the wild
Boyfriend: me. Girlfriend: my deadline. Other woman: a four-hour nap.
Painfully accurate.
The framework I'm using vs the new one that came out yesterday.
Distracted boyfriend energy.
how to use it
- Illustrating temptation or divided attention
- Object-labelling jokes
- Presentations that need a familiar visual gag
- In professional contexts where the format now reads as dated
- Where the infidelity framing is inappropriate
- As a novel joke — it is extremely well-worn
related terms
receipts
Community feedback
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