If you've seen a photo of politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez edited to look like she could be a Fox News anchor, here's a refresher to help convince you that you aren't actually in the Twilight Zone, you're just online. Blonde AOC, a woman who carries AOC's face but has eyes Photoshopped to appear blue and hair with a bottle blonde sheen, saw a spike in interest after Elon Musk replied to a tweet containing a representation of her. But where did this image come from? More on its history, here.

Who Made Blonde AOC?

Sometime in the summer of 2022, a Twitter user by the name @CadillacRetro posted an edited image of AOC where her dark features were replaced with a slicked-down blonde hairdo and a stern blue-eyed stare. Here's the image alongside its original, unedited photo.

How Did The Blonde AOC Meme Spread?

The Blonde AOC meme could have died as one Twitter weirdo's interpretation of the progressive politician, but the meme spread further as all memes do, with people making more white-AOC edits on Twitter. But with more attention comes more derision, and people soon began to mock the trend for what it is — very weird behavior.

What Does Elon Musk Have To Do With Blonde AOC?

Sometime in early March 2023, a Tesla fan page posted a series of Blonde AOC images and asked Musk when his date with her is scheduled for. Musk replied to the tweets with no seeming acknowledgment that the AOC in the images was any cause for further comment. He simply said, "Alas she would never date me I’m not cool enough 😢." It stands to question whether Musk thought AOC herself or her blonde version would scorn Musk.

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For the full history of Blonde AOC, be sure to check out our entry on the meme here for even more information.