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The “booty” is just one of the treasures in Levine’s alleged DMs. Another two-part missive also went viral this week. “It is truly unreal how fucking hot you are / Like it blows my mind” is, on the face of it, an affirmation of a woman’s attractiveness. But taken out of context by the internet’s meme makers, it was transformed into an ode to mozzarella sticks and a reinterpretation of the Goldilocks fairy tale, among other things.
Both of those moments from Levine’s alleged messages to Stroh work as memes because of their universality. They are relatable (most people can imagine themselves dumbstruck over how attractive someone is), and their vagueness means they can be mapped onto other objects or into other scenarios. “It’s silly, but most people have had a moment where we’ve thought, ‘It’s unreal how hot you are,’ whether it’s about another person or biting into a pizza roll,” says Brennan.
A third screenshot from Levine’s alleged messages, where he apparently marvels at the beauty of Stroh’s body by saying “Holy fuck / Holy fucking fuck / That body of yours is absurd,” has less memeable potential, but has “proven to be a very good exploitable meme as well”, says Caldwell. The template is simple: Couple Levine’s alleged texts with words or images that draw attention to their objectifying nature.
“It’s technically really easy to make your own version, unlike certain formats or genres,” says Turvy. “I’ve mostly seen it in two ways: Either it’s just a screenshot of some of the texts and a recontextualizing caption, or it’s an image pasted above some of the texts to make it look like he’s replying about the body being incredible to something funny like Gritty or Shrek.”
That the situation is spicy also helps. “More controversial origins make for more compelling meme formats,” says Joe Federer, former head of brand strategy at Reddit. As a meme format, he argues, Levine’s alleged DMs come “pre-charged with meaning.”
The idea of prying into the apparent lustful thoughts of one of the world’s best-known musicians is as controversial as it is relatable. Plus, people enjoy bringing down celebrities a peg or two—especially at times like this when their troubles can seem even more inconsequential.
“People already sort of hate Maroon 5,” says Turvy. “They’re like the Nickelback of soft coffee-shop rock. Adam Levine has been an incredibly famous musician for what feels like forever. He was People’s Sexiest Man Alive at one point—but he’s sort of a cipher we can project anything on to.”
The controversy, and the ability to make Levine the butt of jokes, is also a welcome tonic from the dreadfulness of the news cycle at present.
“So much of our world has felt high stakes in the past several years, it can be a relief to joke about something that feels light without too many repercussions,” says Brennan. That is, without too many repercussions for the meme-makers. Levine, meanwhile, is going through the 21st century equivalent of being placed in the stocks and getting tomatoes thrown at him.
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