# Awkward White People Smile A young David Vujanić, the Serbian creator known online as VUJ, uploaded a throwback middle-school photo to his Instagram on December 11th, 2014, showing himself with pursed lips and raised shoulders[3]. On October 2nd, 2015, Twitter user @rashadpls recaptioned the picture as 'this how white people smile at you when you pass them on the street,' turning it into a reaction image for forced sidewalk politeness[1]. By November 2024, Vujanić was posing with Kyle Craven of Bad Luck Brian and Blake Boston of Scumbag Steve at the Dogeday event with the meme pulled up on his phone[8]. ## Origin On December 11th, 2014, David Vujanić uploaded the picture to his personal Instagram with the caption '#ThrowBackThursday on the way to phuck yo bIsh! TYBG'[3]. Vujanić was not treating the upload as a meme at the time. His identity as the kid in the photo was only confirmed publicly years later, including by an r/AskBalkans thread documenting the match[4]. The reaction image reading took hold on October 2nd, 2015, when Twitter user @rashadpls posted a cropped version captioned 'this how white people smile at you when you pass them on the street.' That tweet collected over 8,200 retweets and 8,900 likes[1], and the street-pass caption became the default way reposters captioned the picture over the following decade[5]. - **Platform:** Instagram (source photo) / Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** David Vujanić (subject); @rashadpls (viral caption) - **Date:** 2015 ## Overview Awkward White People Smile, also known as How White People Smile at You When You Pass Them on the Street, works because the pinched, closed-mouth face reads as both friendly and visibly uncomfortable at the same time[1]. Posters match it to scenarios of brief obligatory contact between strangers, like passing a neighbor on the sidewalk or riding an elevator with a coworker, where the goal is to signal recognition without actually talking[6]. Captions range beyond the original street-pass line. The image anchors 'Don't Say It' templates about biting back an inappropriate thought and shows up in meirl confessions where the boy's face stands in for the poster's own expression[5]. Vujanić, who kept making content under the name VUJ, later embraced his meme past and posed with other meme icons in 2024[2]. ## How to Use Common convention for Awkward White People Smile is to pair the photo with a short caption describing a brief obligatory social moment where someone has to acknowledge a stranger, like 'this how white people smile at you when you pass them on the street'[1]. The image stands in for the facial expression the speaker makes in that moment. Variations swap the street-pass setup for 'Don't Say It' jokes about swallowing a thought, or meirl posts where the face represents the poster's reaction to their own behavior[5]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Awkward White People Smile? Awkward White People Smile, also known as How White People Smile at You When You Pass Them on the Street, is a reaction image of a young David Vujanić with pursed lips, used to represent the strained polite smile strangers give each other in passing[1]. ### Where did Awkward White People Smile come from? Vujanić, a Serbian content creator known as VUJ, uploaded the original middle-school photo to his Instagram on December 11th, 2014[3]. Twitter user @rashadpls recaptioned it on October 2nd, 2015, with the street-pass joke that made it a meme[1]. ### What does Awkward White People Smile mean? It captures the forced, closed-mouth smile people make during brief obligatory social interactions where they want to be polite but not actually talk[1]. Users apply it to any scenario of social surrender, from elevator rides to hallway run-ins[5]. ### How do you use Awkward White People Smile? Pair the photo with a short caption describing an awkward social encounter that forces a polite acknowledgment, like 'this how white people smile at you when you pass them on the street'[1]. The image stands in for the facial expression you make in that moment[5]. ### Is Awkward White People Smile still popular? Awkward White People Smile was still in circulation nearly a decade after the viral tweet, and in November 2024 Vujanić posed with the meme himself at the Dogeday event alongside Kyle Craven and Blake Boston[8]. ## References 1. [https://twitter.com/rashadpls/status/650114296937058304]() 2. [https://everpress.com/blog/community-focus-david-vujanic/]() 3. [https://www.instagram.com/p/weDUCWEfaT/?hl=en]() 4. [https://www.reddit.com/r/AskBalkans/comments/j8focr/til_this_kid_is_a_serb_called_david_vujanic_does/]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/awkward-white-people-smile]() 6. [https://www.reddit.com/r/meirl/comments/3z6z8d/me_irl/]() 7. [https://lucifurby.tumblr.com/post/131143784340]() 8. [https://www.instagram.com/p/DB3k4Ncy4Rb/?hl=en&img_index=1]() 9. [https://x.com/DavidVujanic/status/1852684152476221721]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/awkward-white-people-smile Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library