30 Times The Glass Was Not Strong Enough
Also known as: Glass Was Not Strong Enough · She Can't Keep Getting Away With This (glass meme)
"30 Times the Glass Was Not Strong Enough" is a fan art redraw meme based on a photoshopped YouTube thumbnail showing a woman walking through a shattering glass door. The image first went viral on Tumblr in October 2021 after a user posted the thumbnail alongside the video's title, and it quickly spawned a wave of redraws featuring fictional characters in place of the original woman2.
Overview
The meme centers on a single image: a woman striding confidently away from a glass door or window that's exploding into shards behind her. The original was a photoshopped thumbnail, not an actual photograph, but its dramatic composition made it perfect for redraws2. Artists replace the woman with fictional characters, typically ones known for being powerful, dramatic, or unstoppable. The title phrase "30 Times the Glass Was Not Strong Enough" doubles as a standalone catchphrase people drop on videos of glass breaking2.
On March 30, 2021, the YouTube channel MAD LAB fan uploaded a compilation video titled "30 Times The Glass Was Not Strong Enough," featuring 30 clips of glass objects being broken by people, animals, and weather2. The video used a photoshopped thumbnail depicting a woman walking through a glass door as it shattered into pieces behind her. The video has since been removed from YouTube2.
The thumbnail sat largely unnoticed until October 21, 2021, when Tumblr user empezardexerox posted a screenshot of it alongside the title. That post picked up over 86,500 likes and reblogs over the following three years2. Shortly after, Tumblr user polargeist found two more entertainment videos using slightly altered versions of the same thumbnail and added the comment, "she cant keep getting away with this"2.
Origin & Background
How It Spread
How to Use This Meme
The format is straightforward:
Take the composition of the original thumbnail: a figure walking forward while glass shatters dramatically behind them
Replace the woman with a character of your choice, typically someone known for being powerful, dramatic, or effortlessly cool
Match the pose and framing of the original as closely as possible while adapting it to the character's design
Post it with the title "30 Times the Glass Was Not Strong Enough" or a variation of it
Fun Facts
The original YouTube video was a standard compilation of glass-breaking clips. The meme is entirely about the thumbnail, not the video content itself.
The video has been removed from YouTube, but the thumbnail lives on through screenshots and redraws.
Tumblr user polargeist discovered that multiple YouTube channels reused the same thumbnail concept, suggesting it was a popular clickbait template.
The Tumblr post by empezardexerox sat for years steadily accumulating engagement, hitting 86,500 notes over three years rather than spiking and dying.
Derivatives & Variations
Grell Sutcliff (Black Butler) redraw
— the earliest known redraw, posted November 1, 2021 on Tumblr by howdyboh[2]
ULTRAKILL redraw
— posted September 12, 2022 on X by @KILLCH0PDELUXE, one of the most popular versions[2]
Standalone catchphrase use
— the title phrase is used independently as a comment on glass-breaking videos across platforms[2]
Frequently Asked Questions
References (3)
- 1Soupuparticle
- 2
- 3SpongeBob SquarePantsencyclopedia