About

POV Memes or POV Roleplay refers to a series of memes that provide the viewer with an unusual perspective of a certain object during a specific interaction involving that object; for example, of a figurine being placed in a Cum Jar. Originating from TikTok and categorized under the hashtag #POV on the platform, the memes usually include "POV: You're [object in a situation]" description accompanied by a humorous video or an illustration.

Origin

POV, an initialism of "point of view," is a technique utilized in film production that involves the viewer experiencing a certain scene from the point of view of a certain character. In eSports broadcasting, the POV camera means that the viewer is watching the perspective of one particular player playing the match.

While the origin of POV TikTok videos is unknown, one of the earliest videos associated with the hashtag was posted on February 17th, 2019 by TikTok^[1] user @benoftheweek (shown below). The caption reads "what ur nintendo ds lite sees when u pictochat ur crush" which places the viewer in the position of a Nintendo DS Lite console. The video gained over 72,400 likes and 2,100 shares in three months, and over 472,600 likes and 10,200 shares in one year.

Precursors

What You See vs. What She Sees meme can be considered a precursor to POV Roleplays. The format, which gained popularity in late 2016, allows people to joke about the perspective of someone receiving oral sex and someone performing oral sex. In general, the meme contains a picture of a woman engaging in female-to-male oral sex and a picture of a visibly less attractive man staring downward towards her. Parody ASMR videos such as Nostalgic ASMRs and content posted by YouTube channel Jojas Makes Videos can also be considered a precursor to the meme.

Spread

On March 25th, 2019, TikTok user @uekan_gopro posted another common POV roleplay video which places the viewer as the performer by an alternative perspective. The video has gained over 199,000 likes and 4,900 shares in a month and a half (shown below, left). On May 2nd, TikTok user @symplisam uploaded a video that places the viewer in a beauty blender role (shown below, right). The video accumulated over 21,700 likes and 700 shares in a week.

On April 29th, 2019, Twitter^[2] user @WoahTxler posted a POV Roleplay meme that received over 820,700 views, 8,500 retweets and 47,600 likes in one year (shown below).

pov: you accidentally run into the skater who gave you chlamydia and then ghosted you. after seeing him again u can’t feel ur legs and u pass out pic.twitter.com/vXLScsHdtR

— (ง'̀-'́)ง (@WoahTxler) April 29, 2019

Following the tweet, the format gained a significant presence on Twitter, with users both reposting viral TikTok videos and posting original content. For example, on April 30, 2019, Twitter^[3] user @DANNYDEVITHOE posted a POV Roleplay meme "POV: you’re a fetus and i abort you with a topshop coat hanger" which received over 510,000 views, 6,100 retweets and 28,400 likes in one year. On May 2nd, 2019, Twitter^[4] user @izzysmh posted a video "POV: you’ve been feeling insecure and your boyfriend sends you this reassuring video" that accrued over 213,000 views, 1,500 retweets and 5,600 likes in the same period (shown below).

POV: you’ve been feeling insecure and your boyfriend sends you this reassuring video pic.twitter.com/zqvxEDOeMi

— mars (@izzysmh) May 2, 2019

On May 8th, 2019, Daily Dot^[5] reported on the trend.

In the following year, the format maintained a significant presence on TikTok and Twitter, also receiving spread on Reddit, iFunny and Instagram. For example, on November 12th, 2019, iFunny^[6] user EvilDead posted a Cum Jar meme that received over 2,900 smiles on the platform in four months (shown below, left). On February 9th, Redditor^[7] FinkaNoot posted a A Man Has Fallen Into the River in Lego City meme which received over 22,500 upvotes in /r/okbuddyretard in three weeks (shown below, right).

Related Memes

"Are You Emo?" Bully TikToks

'Are You Emo?' Bully TikToks refers to a series of TikTok videos by user @liiias._ which (Olivia Giordano) which gained notoriety for being an accurate representation of the type of mean behavior one might experience in middle and high school. Though several of the videos grew popular, Giordano's "Are You Emo?" video helped her gain notoriety and was in itself parodied on the platform and elsewhere.

On April 22nd, 2019, Giordano posted her "Are You Emo?" TikTok, acting like a teenager asking someone if they were emo and depressed because they wear all black. The video gained over 56,000 likes (shown below, left). Giordano created several other videos where she acted out relatable school experiences, often playing the role of the bully. Other popular videos include one titled "POV: We are talking to our group of friends & I brought up the GC we purposely didn’t add u to" (shown below, center), which gained over 63,000 likes on TikTok, and "POV: someone’s complimenting your appearance and I’m mad about it so I humble you," which gained over 42,000 likes (shown below, right).

Twilight POVs

Twilight POVs are a series of TikTok POVs videos in which TikTokkers roleplay themselves in middle school pretending they are vampires due to their exposure to the drama film series Twilight. The videos became popular in October 2019 on TikTok.

Don't Be Shy, Put Some More

Don't Be Shy, Put Some More refers to a catchphrase that gained popularity on TikTok following a viral video posted in November 2019. The format usually involves filming users from above their heads so that their forehead appears comically disproportional.

Various Examples

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6685807375326121221

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6787475722014297349

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6686578854481366277

Search Interest

External References