Content Warning: Portions of this entry make mention of suicide, which some may find difficult or upsetting. If you need support or are dealing with suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's website or call 1-800-273-8255.

About

Excited Little Girl or Grinning Girl is an image of Kailia Posey who was a contestant on season five of Toddlers and Tiaras. The scene, taken from a July 2012 episode where she smiles with her head pushed down to make a double chin, became a reaction image and GIF before seeing use in image macros over the following years. It also became the subject of a photoshop battle shortly after airing. In early May 2022, Posey was pronounced dead by suicide at the age of 16.

Origin

On July 11th, 2012, season five of the TLC reality TV show Toddlers and Tiaras returned from its mid-season break. The episode featured 5-year-old Kailia, who had been competing in pageants since she was 3 years old. In the episode, titled "California Tropic Arizona," she says she wants to win the competition "'cause I like to win moneeey!" In one talking-head scene, she makes a wide grin while pushing her head down to make a double chin. The image was posted in a Daily Mail^[1] article that day talking about the show's return. The scene was then uploaded to the Tumblr^[2] account thelife-is-a-beautiful-lie as a GIF on February 27th, 2013 (shown below).

Spread

On September 23rd, 2012, the screenshot was posted to the /r/photoshopbattles^[6] subreddit, titled "Excited Pageant Girl," gaining over 920 upvotes in 10 years and receiving over 130 comments and numerous photoshop edits (examples shown below).

The GIF and image became the increased subject of memes over the following years, often used as a reaction to denote excitement and happiness, as well as playfulness. On June 30th, 2014, Tumblr^[7] user swamppeople used the GIF, captioned "When I Remember It's Gator Day," gaining over 200 notes in eight years. On June 10th, 2016, the image was added to Meme Generator,^[8] titled "Excited little girl," seeing over 170 uses in six years.

Death

On May 3rd, 2022, TMZ^[3] published an article announcing that Posey had died according to a Facebook post by her mother. She was 16 years old. TMZ^[4] offered more details in a follow-up article that day, revealing she died by suicide in her home state, Washington, and was planning on getting her commercial pilot's license while continuing to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Posey's mother told TMZ, "Although she was an accomplished teenager with a bright future ahead of her, unfortunately in one impetuous moment, she made the rash decision to end her earthly life." On May 4th, an article by The Sun^[5] claimed Posey was found dead in Birch Bay State Park, Washington at around 1:20 p.m. EST. The park is about a 30-minute drive from her family's home.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References