A certain mystique has always surrounded the lives of John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy. In the 1960s, people talked about "Camelot" and the tragedy of the young President's assassination. Now, in 2022, folks on Twitter and TikTok are talking about how Jackie Kennedy Eats Sheet Metal.

This claim is not supported by any known historical record. Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis published books, served iconic looks, and toured the world, but likely did not eat metal. So why do people online say she did? Let's chomp down and digest this strange piece of internet meme folklore.

Where Did 'Jackie Kennedy Eats Sheet Metal' Come From?

The first posts about the first lady's alleged taste for sheet metal emerged in 2020 on Twitter from user @BhadDad, who seems to have consistently and frequently posted about the topic. It seems as if @BhadDad's claims about Jackie Kennedy were inspired by the appearance of her teeth in several photographs.

Other users participated in the meme through 2021, posting jokes not only about Jackie but about her husband, JFK.

On January 1st, 2021, @BhadDad posted an audio impersonation of Jackie Kennedy growling:

jackie kennedy be like pic.twitter.com/JMvtRtrFuH

— family friendly era (@BhadDhad) January 1, 2021

Equipped with this new audio component, the meme made its way to TikTok, with many users creating skits and jokes featuring the growls of the First Lady.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7141893410704739630

How Do People Post 'Jackie Kennedy Eats Sheet Metal'?

Posting of this meme usually features a photograph of Jackie in which her teeth seem especially prominent and some form of user-generated growling.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7150122909267217707

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7147374490547162411

Many variations have emerged, adding new flavors to the posting of the meme and commenting on the frequency of posts about it.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7144692173202558214

The amount of objects Jackie Kennedy eats has expanded to include not just sheet metal but essentially anything else metallic. Many of the memes describe John F. Kennedy or other people around the White House accommodating Jackie's dietary habits.

Why Do People Post 'Jackie Kennedy Eats Sheet Metal'?

The Kennedy family has long been a fixture of American life and global pop culture. For many commentators, the glamour of the Kennedy clan and the interesting (also tragic) life stories of many family members offer Americans the closest thing the country has ever had to royalty. Traditionally, the Kennedys have been venerated and honored, with the two-year presidency of JFK and Jackie's display of grief following his assassination serving as cornerstones of the myth. Books and movies about her (including 2016's Jackie ) continue to get made.

The Kennedys have been criticized as well as honored, but in general they are almost sainted figures. Part of what makes the Jackie Kennedy meme so appealing is likely how transgressive it feels: by picturing the First Lady as a metal-devouring goblin-type monster, memers totally reverse the image they grew up with. Jackie Kennedy is usually remembered as an elegant, classy woman but these memes paint her as the exact opposite: a being so absurdly inhuman and ridiculous that you can't help but laugh.

It joins the tradition of many memes making fun of Presidents and their families, perhaps signaling a culture that is eager to question public mythologies. Of course, as far as anybody knows, Jackie Kennedy did not eat sheet metal.

For the full history of the Jackie Kennedy and her beloved sheet metal and even more memes, check out our entry.