The "My Plans 2020" Meme Offers Catharsis in a Time of Crisis

Chelsey Sanchez
·4 min read
Photo credit: Twitter
Photo credit: Twitter

From Harper's BAZAAR

  • A new meme on Twitter, inspired by the coronavirus pandemic halting our day-to-day lives, captures all the ways the year 2020 has wrecked our plans and expectations.

  • The meme format juxtaposes two conflicting photos: one representing expectations for the New Year ("My plans"), the other representing the reality ("2020").

  • The meme has drawn comparisons between pop culture references like The Parent Trap, Game of Thrones, Parasite, the Jennifer Aniston–Brad Pitt–Angelina Jolie love triangle, and more.

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented memes. The latest iteration in the domino chain reaction that follows worldly catastrophes to online witticisms is the "My Plans 2020" meme.

By now, many of us have probably clocked in a few months' worth of quarantine as we follow shelter-at-home orders and public health guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic. The resulting grief and anger over this disruption to our daily lives is essentially a gold mine for meme makers everywhere.

Simply put, the "My Plans 2020" meme, which is making the rounds on Twitter, offers a somewhat-creative outlet to alleviate this nearly universal disappointment. The format is as follows: Juxtapose two contradictory photos (say, a picture of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston in their heyday, and one of Angelina Jolie; or maybe Britney Spears in her gym with a candle). The first (usually optimistic) photo represents your expectations for the year, while the second represents the sad reality. It's a cathartic piece of viral Internet culture, allowing us to mourn the (temporary!) loss of our social lives.

Scroll down to see some of the meme's best efforts.

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