A Taiwanese model has been trapped by a meme since 2012

Evidence

Consider the example of the Taiwanese model Heidi Yeh, who has been unable to detach herself from her memefied image and the populist folklore surrounding her backstory since 2012. Yeh had been contracted to model for a print advertisement to promote a cosmetic surgery clinic. The image featured a family portrait comprising a glamorous and beautiful husband and wife showcasing popular cosmetic surgery outcomes in East Asia such as big eyes and noses with high bridges, accompanied by three young children whose facial features were digitally augmented to appear with eyes “exceptionally small” and “noses flat.” The caption of the image read, “The only thing you’ll ever have to worry about is how to explain it to the kids,” implying that the parents had undergone cosmetic surgery of such good workmanship that even their children would not be able to tell the difference, and would struggle to understand why they looked starkly different from their parents. — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 176

Categorization

• XREF: Concrete case serving the ‘unwilling meme’ typology; instance of involuntary fame that resonates with ideas of image-stickness and lacking control over one’s likeness. — connects to: Some viral faces become unwilling memes who reject their fame. — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame…, 175; Some viral meme figures decline to extend or monetize their transient fame — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame…, 165; Becoming a meme erases the person’s context and identity markers — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame…, 164 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Some viral faces become unwilling memes who reject their fame. #exemplifies (0.85) — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 175
• Some viral meme figures decline to extend or monetize their transient fame #exemplifies (0.80) — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 165
• Meme celebrities range from faces to personae, with unwilling participants resisting identification #exemplifies (0.80) — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 175
• Becoming a meme erases the person’s context and identity markers #exemplifies (0.75) — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 164