On a cold Washington Wednesday, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders bundled up for the inauguration of President Joe Biden, sparking bipartisan glee with his fashion choices. The internet quickly did its thing and turned it into a meme.
Summary
Senator Bernie Sanders has become a hot topic on the internet after his coat, mittens, and demeanor went viral on twitter and continued for days as a meme.
- Celebrities used the meme to add Sanders into iconic shots of movies or TV shows they have been produced or starred in.
- Sanders’ mittens were homemade by a Vermont teacher who uses recycled wool to knit gloves as a second job.
- When asked by Seth Myers about the moment that sparked so many memes, Sanders said “I was just sitting there trying to keep warm.”
- Advertising outlet AdAge compiled a list of the best examples of brands using the meme.
- The Washington Post pondered whether “Sanders’s seemingly grump appearance reflected people’s own annoyance with politicians and political systems” in a report highlighting the international reach of the Bernie meme.
- Bernie’s outsized support among young Democrats and in online organizing is likely partially responsible for the meme’s reach according to The New York Times
- CNN’s opinion section included a very on-brand submission saying the memes were “what this country needed” after the “tormented slumber” of the Trump administration.
- Fox News reported that Sanders’ campaign has turned the meme into a sweatshirt available on its website to raise money for Meals on Wheels in Vermont.
- New York Post ignored the politics of the situation to collect what they consider the best memes created from the photo.
- The Federalist noted that Jen Ellis, the teacher who made the mittens, does not have her side business anymore, quoting her interview with Slate by saying independent crafters are “taxed to the nth degree”, making it not worth pursuing as a business.
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© Dallas Gerber, 2021
