Forums / Discussion / Meme Research

I have been finding pictures of people in tophats
and monocles. Much like my profile picture.

It ties in with Verbose memes

But I still see pictures of this even when no one is talking about memes.

Moving thread to Meme Research

Needs moar sauce

Apparently, top hats and monocles make everything awesome. Still needs more info.

This isn't a new question. It's been asked before. Here's a link to the old thread.

Here's an excerpt of what Chris said about this which I think still applies:

The top hat and monocle are key components of the stereotype of a late 19th century upper-class gentleman. This stereotype gained mainstream recognition through the editorial cartoons of newspapers and advertising of the time.

Mr. Peanut, the mascot for Planter’s Peanuts has appeared with a top hat and cane since 1916.

I’m not sure exactly of when the top hat and monocle fell out of vogue, but the use of such a character for satirical purposes never really left. To call this an Internet Meme just seems to me like it places credit in the wrong place.

It's just a late 18th and early 19th century fashion statement.