# Be Like Bill Be Like Bill is a stick figure meme that uses a character named "Bill" to passive-aggressively point out annoying social media habits and breaches of modern etiquette. The format first appeared on English-language forums in late 2015 and exploded on Facebook in January 2016, spawning international variants in Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Malaysian, and other languages. It became one of the first major memes of 2016 and drew both massive popularity and significant backlash for its preachy tone. ## Origin The earliest known version of the stick figure format dates back to March 2010 on Joyreactor, where a character named "Tim" was shown ignoring offensive content on the internet[10]. The drawing also appeared on Funnyjunk and Reddit in October 2015, initially framed as an ironic jab at online outrage culture[4]. The meme's viral life really began on December 21, 2015, when an Italian Facebook page called "Sii come Bill" launched and quickly picked up over 226,000 likes in under three weeks[4]. On January 2, 2016, a Spanish-language version called "Sé como José" appeared and gained more than 405,000 followers within four days[4]. The anonymous Spanish page admin said he translated the meme from Italian after seeing its popularity there[4]. The main English-language Facebook page, simply called "Be like Bill," posted its first meme on January 7, 2016[2]. It was created by Eugeniu Croitoru, a 23-year-old Moldovan living in Milan who described himself as an "internet entrepreneur"[10]. Croitoru had previously run the gaming comedy site Videogamemes, and he enlisted his friend Debabrata Nath to help manage the page[10]. - **Platform:** Joyreactor / Funnyjunk (early versions), Facebook (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown (original stick figure comic), Eugeniu Croitoru (Facebook page creator, popularizer), Debabrata Nath (co-manager of English Facebook page) - **Date:** 2015 ## Overview The meme follows a simple four-line structure. A stick figure wearing a knitted beanie hat is introduced as "Bill." The text describes a situation where Bill encounters something annoying online or in real life. Bill chooses not to engage or do the annoying thing. The meme concludes with "Bill is smart. Be like Bill."[2] The format works as a passive-aggressive public service announcement, calling out behaviors like posting gym selfies, sharing spoilers, sending Candy Crush invites, or taking duck-faced photos[10]. The stick figure art style is deliberately crude and easy to replicate, which helped the meme spread rapidly and spawn countless user-generated variations[12]. ## How It Spread The English Facebook page hit 1.3 million likes within weeks of its January 7 launch[6]. Croitoru told the BBC that the concept was straightforward: "'Bill' can be anyone who is smart and has common sense and doesn't do annoying things"[8]. The page churned out memes targeting everything from vague-posting to chain emails to posting photos of lattes on Instagram[10]. The meme's simple template made it easy to localize. In Arabic, Bill became "Bilal" or "Bashir." In Malaysia, he was "Rashid." In Russian, "Petya." In Dari and Pashto, "Qodos." In Tagalog, "Juan"[5]. A female variant named "Emily" also appeared, with her own Instagram account[12]. Most of these international versions popped up independently of Croitoru's page[8]. Spanish-language press declared it one of the first "virales" of 2016[4]. BuzzFeed, BBC, Mashable, The Independent, and New York Magazine all covered the meme in January 2016[1][8][2][10][12]. The coverage was mixed. Mashable called it "the passive aggressive meme dividing Facebook"[2]. New York Magazine went harder, declaring it "the worst thing on Facebook" and arguing that Bill represented "social media's worst impulse: the claim to moral superiority wrapped in nagging, passive-aggressive complaint"[12]. ## How to Use The Be Like Bill format follows a simple template: 1. Open with "This is [Name]." The character is typically shown as a basic stick figure with a knitted beanie hat. 2. Describe a situation where [Name] encounters something potentially annoying. This often involves social media, like someone posting spoilers, gym selfies, or chain messages. 3. Show [Name] making the "smart" choice, usually by not engaging with or perpetuating the annoying behavior. 4. Close with "[Name] is smart. Be like [Name]." ## Cultural Impact The meme drew coverage from BBC, Mashable, BuzzFeed, The Independent, The Mirror, Mic, and New York Magazine, all within the first few weeks of January 2016[8][2][1][10][9][6][12]. This media blitz both fueled and documented the meme's rapid spread. Boston city officials used the format in an official capacity to discourage parking space savers[5]. Bored Panda compiled collections of the best examples, and the meme generated significant comment section debates about whether passive-aggressive etiquette policing was helpful or obnoxious[7]. The Independent's deep-dive article included academic analysis from Professor Janet Sayers, who studied the meme as an example of how social norms get enforced through humor online[10]. The conversation around Be Like Bill touched on broader questions about who gets to dictate online etiquette and whether memes can meaningfully change behavior. ## Fun Facts - The earliest known ancestor of the format appeared on Joyreactor in March 2010, nearly six years before the meme went viral[10]. - The Spanish "Sé como José" page gained over 405,000 followers in just four days[4]. - Croitoru admitted he was nothing like Bill: "No, Bill is much better than me"[8]. - A 2013 Bing poll cited by The Independent found 40% of adults were tired of boring Facebook statuses, helping explain why the meme's message hit so hard[10]. - The meme's co-creator Nath acknowledged that some fans took Bill to "dictatorial extremes" they didn't agree with[10]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Be Like Bill? Be Like Bill is a stick figure meme that uses a character named Bill to passive-aggressively highlight annoying social media behaviors and suggest better alternatives. Each meme follows a four-step format ending with "Be like Bill"[2][8]. ### Where did Be Like Bill come from? The earliest version appeared on Joyreactor in 2010, but the meme went viral through Italian and Spanish Facebook pages in late December 2015, followed by the main English page launched on January 7, 2016[4][10]. ### What does Be Like Bill mean? The meme uses Bill as an example of someone with common sense who avoids annoying online behaviors. Creator Eugeniu Croitoru explained that "'Bill' can be anyone who is smart and has common sense and doesn't do annoying things"[8]. ### How do you use Be Like Bill? Pick an annoying behavior, write a four-line script where Bill encounters but avoids it, pair it with a simple stick figure drawing wearing a beanie hat, and close with "Bill is smart. Be like Bill"[2]. ### Is Be Like Bill still popular? The meme peaked in January 2016 and burned through its viral cycle within a few months. As New York Magazine predicted, it proved to be "a bit of Internet ephemera"[12]. The format still occasionally surfaces but is far from its early 2016 peak. ### Who created the Be Like Bill Facebook page? Eugeniu Croitoru, a Moldovan expat living in Milan, created the main English-language Facebook page and co-managed it with Debabrata Nath[10][8]. ### Why did people hate Be Like Bill? Critics called the meme smug, preachy, and hypocritical. Posting memes about other people's posting habits struck many as exactly the kind of behavior Bill would disapprove of[12]. A rival "Don't Be Like Bill" page emerged to mock the format[2]. ### What are the international versions of Be Like Bill? The meme was adapted into dozens of languages with localized names: Bilal in Arabic, Rashid in Malaysian, José in Spanish, Petya in Russian, Qodos in Dari/Pashto, and Juan in Tagalog[5][8]. ### Who is Emily in the Be Like Bill meme? Emily is a female variant of the format, with her own Instagram account. She follows the same template but with a woman's name and female stick figure[12]. ### Did any government or institution use Be Like Bill? Boston city officials used the meme format to discourage the use of space savers in parking spots[5]. ## References 1. [This "Be Like Bill" Meme Passive Aggressively Calls Out People's Social Media Habits]() 2. ['Be like Bill' is the passive aggressive meme dividing Facebook | Mashable]() 3. ["Sé como José" es la caricatura viral ideal para echar indirectas]() 4. [Be Like Bill - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Be like Bill]() 6. [Be Like Bill - Urban Dictionary]() 7. [UPROXX – Music Television and Culture]() 8. [Be Like Bill Is the Public Service Announcement Your Facebook Friends Need - Memebase - Funny Memes]() 9. ["Be Like Bill" Meme Is Taking Over Facebook, Urging Users to Be Less Annoying]() 10. [80 Hilarious Yet Clever Life Lessons From Bill | Bored Panda]() 11. [Why should you be more like Bill? - BBC News]() 12. ['Be like Bill' is the passive aggressive meme dividing Facebook | Mashable]() 13. [What is #BeLikeBill? Everything you need to know about the meme taking over the internet - The Mirror]() 14. ['Be Like Bill': Smarmy stick-figure meme takes over Facebook | The Independent | The Independent]() 15. [Tim is on the internet. He sees something that offends him, but he ignores it and moves on with his life. Good move, Tim. Not being a faggot. Super simple stuff. A Your intelligence. SJfTeam Rocket Grunt / funny pictures :: auto :: comics :: internet :: faggot - JoyReactor]() 16. [‘Be Like Bill’ Is the Worst Thing on Facebook]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/be-like-bill Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library