About

Normalize X is a phrasal template used to call for normalization of various practices that has seen regular use on Twitter since January 2019. The snowclone appeared in multiple viral tweets of both serious and comedic nature, with imperative sentences sometimes reiterated multiple times to emphasize the meaning.

Origin

While viral tweets^[1] containing the verb "normalize" in imperative mood appeared before, the word did not spawn a specific tweet or meme format until January 2nd, 2019, when Twitter^[2] user @damexpatr tweeted, "Normalize apologizing to children." The tweet (shown below) received over 55,100 retweets and 158,400 likes in two years.

Spread

On January 5th, 2019, Twitter^[3] user @CauvasianJames posted the earliest humorous tweet that was based on the snowclone. The post received over 4,000 retweets and 23,100 likes in two years (shown below).

Prior to December 2019, several viral tweets using the phrasal template were posted. For example, on March 24th, 2019, Twitter^[4] user @sno3angel posted a meme that gained over 19,400 retweets and 64,300 likes in two years.

On December 8th, 2019, Twitter^[5] user @Ringo_Snoop made the first viral tweet in which an imperative sentence starting with the verb "normalize" was repeated multiple times. The post (shown below, left) received over 16,800 retweets and 65,200 likes in two years. On December 31st, 2019, Twitter^[6] user @bobbyteriyaki posted a tweet using the structure that gained over 9,000 retweets and 45,700 likes in two years (shown below, center). On January 8th, 2020, Twitter^[7] user @olivesagan posted the earliest joke that used the subformat, with the post gaining over 2,600 retweets and 15,300 likes in two years (shown below, right).

The format achieved more recognition after January 29th, 2020, when Twitter^[8] user @AnarchoShanties posted a joke about sea shanties that received over 25,200 retweets and 117,000 likes prior to being deleted (shown below, left). On February 17th, 2020, Twitter^[9] user @alovablenerd made a post that gained over 10,300 retweets and 60,800 likes before deletion (shown below, center).

The format maintained a significant presence on Twitter in 2020 and 2021, appearing in many different variations.

Submissive and Breedable

On June 23rd, 2021, Twitter^[10] user @T4RIG tweeted "normalize 👏 platonically 👏 telling 👏 your 👏 bros 👏 they 👏 look 👏 submissive 👏and 👏 breedable 👏." The tweet gained over 92,000 likes and 12,200 retweets in five days, spawning the Submissive and Breedable meme, while also making use of the snowclone.

Cat Versions

On September 5th, 2021, Twitter^[11][12] users @northstardoll and @vsshole posted two complementary Normalize X memes based on images of cats, namely a version of Hehe Cat. The posts received over 22,000 retweets and 115,700 likes and 3,700 retweets and 20,000 likes in one month, respectively (shown below, left and right).

The posts inspired similar cat image macros to be posted in the following weeks. For example, on September 15th, 2021, iFunny^[13] user HunterChapman posted a Hehe Cat macro that gained over 13,900 smiles on the app in one month. On October 6th, 2021, Twitter^[14] user @_gutrot posted an edit that gained over 26,200 retweets and 132,200 likes in one week (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References