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What's The 'Hyperpigmentation' Meme? The Viral Video Of A Girl's Drawing Explained
A little girl's drawing now known as the "Hyperpigmentation meme" has come a long way since the original viral video that sparked it.
The crudely made character with a big dot on her cheek was supposed to be a portrait of the girl's mother. However, even her mother was confused about who it was supposed to be, asking, "Is that hyperpigmentation?" The drawing has lived on as an exploitable, but where did the original video come from?
Curious about the history of the Hyperpigmentation meme? Let's explain.
Where Does The 'Hyperpigmentation' Meme Come From?
The original video was filmed in 2019 by a woman named Sonia Tiebi. It's unclear where or if she posted it because she gave the video's rights to a YouTube channel called ViralHog. ViralHog shared it for her to its audience of millions. A month later, Tiebi shared the video to her Twitter / X account.
The video itself shows Tiebi's daughter after she drew a portrait of her mom. The drawing is, unfortunately, not the most accurate piece of art. Tiebi and her husband find the whole ordeal amusing. At one point, she asks her daughter, "Is that hyperpigmentation?" referring to the dot on the character's cheek.
What Is 'Hyperpigmentation?'
Hyperpigmentation is a term used to describe spots of skin that appear darker than other areas of the body. Hyperpigmentation can occur from a myriad of conditions and factors like Melasma or sun exposure, according to Healthline.
Why Is The 'Hyperpigmentation' Meme Still Viral?
Over the years, many people have seen the original video because of viral reposts on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. It's resonated with people because of the video's wholesome, family-minded subject matter. People can relate to both the daughter's embarrassment and the parent's amusement concealed by their effort to hype up their daughter's creativity.
Much of the meme's success is aided by the drawing itself, which acts as a defining symbol that can be inserted into different meme templates and formats. People have even dressed up as the Hyperpigmentation drawing for Halloween. Others have simply added captions to the original video to give it new contexts and meanings.
For the full history of Is That Hyperpigmentation? be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.