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What's With The Weird 'J.D. Vance Photoshop Edits' Online? The 'Babyface' Trend That's Distorted The Vice President's Face Explained
Some Americans might be forgetting what Vice President J.D. Vance really looks like because of a series of absurd Photoshop edits that make him look like a baby or turn him into the scariest monster.
It started with memes that made his face chubbier. Then, a propeller hat and a lollipop were added, compounding his juvenile aura.
When his official Vice Presidential portrait dropped, Vance was turned into a GigaChad or made to look like a bloated, sweaty, bursting-at-the-seams version of himself.
Have you wondered why people are doing this? Who created the first edit of J.D. Vance's face and why has it gotten so crazy? Let's explain.
Where Did The 'J.D. Vance Face Photoshop Edits' Come From?
It all started in October, a few weeks before the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election that President Donald Trump and his VP J.D. Vance would eventually win. A Twitter / X user named @DaveMcNamee3000 shared a tweet, showing an edited version of a Vance portrait that gave him rounder cheeks.
The user said, "For every 100 likes, I will turn J.D. Vance into a progressively apple cheeked baby." To their benefit, the tweet received a whopping 211,000 likes. The original image now stands as the genesis of the viral Photoshop trend.
How Has The Meme Evolved?
Since the original post, a slew of J.D. Vance memes that tweak and photoshop his face have landed on social media. For example, after the 2024 Vice Presidential Debate, in which Vance faced off against Democratic candidate Tim Walz, a lot of people altered a screencap of Vance staring, making his appearance hilariously baby-like.
Another slew of edits surfaced after President Trump took office and he and VP Vance got their official White House portraits taken. Vance's portrait was altered like crazy, ranging from handsome to hideous. President Trump's portrait was also not safe from exploitable spread.
How Are People Making The J.D. Vance Memes?
Meme creators seem to be using a combination of many apps and editing platforms to make these edits of J.D. Vance's face.
For instance, the app FaceApp is definitely being used by some meme creators. It's obvious that people are using its "Age Filter" to deep-fry the Vice President's face into both infancy and near-death.
People are also just using good ol' Photoshop, which, in recent months, has made it easier for amateurs to use. Namely, Adobe added a lot of AI features that can auto-generate anything your heart desires.
Why Are People Photoshopping J.D. Vance's Face?
Ever since Donald Trump picked J.D. Vance as his Vice President, the former Ohio Senator has been cast into the limelight and has faced both major scrutiny and deep praise, depending on one's politics.
During the race, Vance's opponents liked to clown on him, such as when people spread a rumor that he once made love to his couch or mocked him for an undoubtedly awkward conversation he had at a Georgia donut shop.
Many of these swirling stories and rumors portrayed Vance as inhuman or goofy, echoing the later edits of his face in memes.
JD Vance had a very awkward visit to a donut shop in Georgia earlier. Trust us, it’s worse than you even think. pic.twitter.com/Fnohh0bKUf
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) August 22, 2024
More recently, J.D. Vance stirred backlash when he asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, "Have you said, 'Thank you,' once?" during a tense meeting last Friday.
In the fallout, the "babyface" edits of Vance were featured in several memes, used to evoke the immaturity of his request, equating it to a toddler asking for the "magic words."
Another reason why these J.D. Vance edits are popping off is because of the sheer amount of them now and how it's affecting the image of Vance in the cultural psyche. People think it's funny to further skew how the VP looks in the average American mind and are finding joy in the confusion.
For the full history of the J.D. Vance Babyface Edits, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information. For the full history of the J.D. Vance Portrait Edits, check out Know Your Meme's other entry for more.
