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Imagine being blissfully away from social media's commotion while living your best life, only to have your mother reveal a digital bombshell. Maggie had exactly that experience. She had no idea that one of her photos had gone viral - yes, the type of viral that brings old high school pals back into the spotlight after years of radio quiet.
Her mother, who had allegedly been deciphering the enigma of the meme on Facebook like Sherlock Holmes, sent her a bewildered message when she received the information. Maggie learned about it like most of us do - seeing it casually appear in her newsfeed.
She wasn't even given a heads-up. Imagine a twist in your eat-pray-love story! Later, when you go home, you discover that a picture you took more than ten years ago has become the newest viral meme on the internet.
Here's how the meme has began
A 16-year-old Reddit user (xWavy) discovered a vintage Polaroid in 2012 while looking through open profiles on Facebook and Myspace. The photo, which was taken in the late 1990s, featured Maggie Goldenberger at the age of ten or eleven, playfully dressed up with her pals. The picture had been posted online by one of her pals and was still accessible to the general public.
This photograph was used in a meme that started going viral on social media. A user (xWavy) posted it on Reddit on March 14 at 9:35 AM EDT, captioning it, "Just a book owner's smile…."
The picture went viral on the internet, but Maggie didn't know about it. At the time, she was on vacation in India. Maggie didn't understand what was going on until her mother contacted her, perplexed by her high school classmates posting the picture, and she subsequently saw it on her own page.
Here's a picture of Maggie Goldenberger and the Ermahgerd meme (Via Pinterest/ @Jessica V. Anderson)
In just two days, the picture made its way to well-known websites like Funnyjunk, I Can Has Cheezburger, and YouTube, where a user going by the handle "Berks Gerl" accompanied the message with a voiceover.
Through websites like Reddit, Tumblr, and Imgur, a GIF of opera soprano Malena Ernman performing "Flight of the Bumblebee" began to garner notoriety at that time. The caption, "Ermahgerd! Cluhrnet!" was frequently used when sharing it.
The "Ermahgerd" meme quickly gained popularity the following year due to the remarkable likeness between Maggie and Berks Gerl. Maggie's now-famous image appeared in almost 4,000 distinct entries on Quickmeme alone in the first year.
Though it should be quite obvious why the "Ermahgerd" meme is so popular, its immediate comedy is the main factor. The idea of someone wearing that kind of clothing, reading Goosebumps-related books, and using that particular expression while speaking in that manner is humorous.
Who is this Berks Gerl?
By March 2012, online sleuths were on a mission to discover the true identity of Berks Gerl. In a Vanity Fair article that also uncovered the South Park influence on her distinctive way of speaking, it was revealed that an anonymous bounty hunter had tracked down Maggie Goldenberger and posted her image online.
Around the same time, a post on the (@/r/AdviceAnimals) Reddit appeared, showing what was claimed to be a current photo of her, paired with the caption, "Ermahgerd, I’m hot."
The discussion rapidly turned to doubting the authenticity of the picture, and it was soon established that it wasn't Maggie. However, it seemed overwhelming and happened too fast when Maggie's brother's friend started posting additional pictures and personal details about her on Reddit to prove that it was her photo.
Maggie clarified in a 2020 BuzzFeed video that she felt compelled to remove herself from the meme and opt for a more private life since the public sharing of personal information about her relationship seemed like an invasion of privacy.
Maggie, however, appears to have taken the meme well. For her, the first amusing picture has remained playful. She even hopes that young people will be inspired to read more by her unexpected celebrity. Ermahgerd, what a lovely note!
The funniest side of this accidental meme - Ermahgerd
Netizens have created multiple memes on this. Let me walk you through some of those funny Ermahgerd memes.
1) Someone (@Sue Berberick) on Pinterest posted a meme:
Ermahgerd Pugs!
2) Another one (@Denise Moyle) on Pinterest posted:
Ermahgerd Iceberg!
3) A perfect couple (Via Pinterest/ @Keira Swift Photography)
Ermahgerd My Boyfriend!
4) A Pinterest user (@Monique Martinez) posted a meme:
Ermahgerd Hydrengea!
Trending
It's funny how a photo can get turned into a widely viral meme and the face attached is even oblivious to this. One minute you are going about your day, and the next you're in a joke being shared with thousands of others. In this internet world of mayhem, celebrity sometimes comes with a bundle of surprises without your consent. This is a reminder.
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