# Distracted Boyfriend > Distracted Boyfriend is a 2015 stock photo by Barcelona photographer Antonio Guillem, showing a man checking out another woman while his girlfriend looks on in disapproval, popularized as a meme format. Distracted Boyfriend is a stock photo turned object labeling meme showing a man checking out another woman while his girlfriend looks on in disapproval. Taken by Barcelona photographer Antonio Guillem in mid-2015, the image first appeared as a meme in a Turkish Facebook group in January 2017 before going massively viral across Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram in August 2017. It won Meme of the Year at the 10th annual Shorty Awards and helped popularize the object labeling format that dominated meme culture in the late 2010s. ## Origin The source photograph was shot in mid-2015 on Carrer Nou, 31 in the city of Girona, Catalonia, Spain[5]. Antonio Guillem, a 45-year-old professional stock photographer from Barcelona, took the image as part of a session exploring the concept of infidelity "in a playful and fun way"[6]. He had been working with the same three models for some time, though one of the models stopped working with him about a year before the meme blew up[1]. Guillem uploaded the image to stock photo databases including iStock and Shutterstock with the caption "Disloyal man walking with his girlfriend and looking amazed at another seductive girl"[5]. The two models who remained part of the team go by the stage names "Laura" (the girlfriend in the blue shirt) and "Mario" (the boyfriend)[12]. Laura later described the shoot, saying: "When people saw us simulate those scenes in the street, they stopped to look and laugh and, in my case that I had to have a more serious face, I had a hard time to keeping it"[5]. The earliest known meme usage appeared on January 30, 2017, when the image was posted to a Turkish Facebook group called "Prog Düşmanlarına Verilen Müthiş Cevaplar" (roughly "Great Answers to Prog Enemies"), labeling the man as Phil Collins being lured away from prog rock by pop music[4]. The creator of that post later said they were inspired by the Turkish political meme page "Siyasettin," which posted its own version the same day[4]. - **Platform:** Stock photo website (Antonio Guillem) - **Creator:** Antonio Guillem (photographer) - **Date:** 2015 (original photo), 2017 (meme format) ## Overview The Distracted Boyfriend meme uses a stock photograph of three people on a street in Girona, Spain. A man walks alongside a woman (his presumed girlfriend) but turns to stare at another woman passing by. The girlfriend's expression is one of clear displeasure. In the meme format, text labels are placed on all three figures to create a metaphor for any situation where someone is drawn to a tempting alternative while neglecting what they already have[4]. The girlfriend typically represents something you should be paying attention to, the other woman represents an appealing distraction, and the boyfriend represents "you" or whatever entity is making the poor choice[2]. ## How It Spread After the initial Turkish Facebook posts, the meme stayed relatively obscure for months. On February 23, 2017, Instagram user @_dekhbai_ posted the image with the caption "Tag That Friend / Who Falls in Love Every Month," picking up over 28,500 likes within seven months[4]. The real explosion came on August 19, 2017, when Twitter user @n1m161 posted the stock photo with the man staring longingly at "socialism" while "capitalism" looks on[4]. Two days later, a Reddit post on r/me_irl used the format to joke about the 2017 solar eclipse vs. "scientific evidence supporting the dangers of staring at the sun," pulling in over 31,200 upvotes within 24 hours[4]. The meme immediately flooded r/MemeEconomy as users debated its investment potential[4]. By late August 2017, the meme was everywhere. Guillem gave interviews to Wired, The Guardian, PetaPixel, and other outlets, telling The Guardian: "I didn't even know what a meme is until recently. The models discovered the meme on social media and they told me about it"[1]. NY Mag published an interview where "Laura" and "Mario" answered fan questions, with Mario admitting: "I would never look at someone like that in real life"[12]. On August 22, Tumblr user klubbhead posted a compilation of the full stock photo series featuring the same three actors in various scenarios, from happy couple shots to implied threesome photos, building out a dramatic narrative arc that collected over 47,500 notes[4]. The same week, Twitter users discovered shots of the two women getting closer while the man faded into the background, spawning a queer reading of the series[4]. ## How to Use The Distracted Boyfriend template works for any scenario involving temptation, poor priorities, or choosing a flashy option over a reliable one. The typical approach: 1. Pick a situation where someone (or something) is ignoring what they should focus on in favor of something new or tempting 2. Label the boyfriend as the person/entity making the choice 3. Label the girlfriend as the neglected option 4. Label the other woman as the tempting alternative ## Cultural Impact The meme's influence on internet culture goes beyond a single viral moment. Slate credited it as the key driver behind the object labeling trend that defined late 2010s meme culture, where simple text labels on images replaced the Impact-font top-text/bottom-text format of the advice animal era[11]. Guillem acknowledged he did not profit directly from the meme's popularity. His best-selling stock photos moved over 6,000 copies per year, while the meme photo sold only about 700 times annually[8]. "Memes haven't given us any kind of economic profit, because most of the images haven't been sold on the microstock agencies," he told Wired. "They are being used without the proper license on those agencies"[6]. He took a measured stance on copyright enforcement, saying he would not pursue legal action except in cases where images were used "in a pejorative, offensive or any way that can harm the models or me"[1]. Nathan Heller of The New Yorker wrote that "the delight of the Distracted Boyfriend meme was not unlike the perverse pleasure taken by Distracted Boyfriend himself: it allowed America to turn its attention away from much more important commitments"[5]. Paper magazine listed it as one of the memes that defined 2017[5]. The format appeared on protest signs at the 2018 "Enough! National School Walkout" against gun violence[5]. In November 2020, French clothing company Jules used it in a commercial[5]. The Hungarian government's use of the same models in a pro-natalist advertising campaign in 2019 drew international attention, with BBC and The Guardian covering the irony of a couple famous for representing infidelity being used to promote family values[14][13]. ## Fun Facts - Guillem was not a trained photographer. Before Spain's economic crash, he made 3-D designs for construction companies. After a period of unemployment, he picked up a camera and within three and a half years was selling 1,600 stock photos per day[6]. - "Laura" said some of her own friends sent her the meme without realizing she was the person in it: "Look, this girl looks like you," they told her. "It's me!" she replied[12]. - "Mario" was embarrassed during the shoot because passersby were watching and laughing while he had to make "this silly face"[12]. - The exact location of the photo is Carrer Nou, 31 in Girona, Spain, identified by GeoGuessr player Rainbolt in a video that got over 533,000 likes[4]. - A 1916 Chicago Tribune cartoon by Frank King contains a near-identical joke: a wife scolds her husband for ogling a passing woman with the line "what you lookin' at Ezry? Shame on You!"[9] ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the Distracted Boyfriend meme? Distracted Boyfriend is a stock photo meme showing a man turning to check out another woman while walking with his girlfriend, who looks upset. Text labels are added to all three figures to represent any situation involving temptation or misplaced priorities[4]. ### Where did Distracted Boyfriend come from? The photo was taken by Barcelona-based stock photographer Antonio Guillem in mid-2015 in Girona, Spain. It was first used as a meme in a Turkish progressive rock Facebook group on January 30, 2017[6][5]. ### What does Distracted Boyfriend mean? The meme represents the feeling of being drawn to something new or tempting while neglecting what you already have. The girlfriend stands for what you should be doing, and the other woman stands for the distraction[2]. ### How do you use the Distracted Boyfriend meme? Label the boyfriend as whoever is making a choice, the girlfriend as the neglected option, and the other woman as the tempting alternative. The format works for everything from political commentary to everyday relatable situations[11]. ### Is Distracted Boyfriend still popular? The meme peaked in August-September 2017 and had a strong second life through 2018-2019. While no longer at peak virality, it still gets used as a reference point and was being animated with AI tools as recently as 2024[18]. ### Who are the models in the Distracted Boyfriend photo? The models go by stage names "Laura" (the girlfriend) and "Mario" (the boyfriend). Photographer Antonio Guillem has kept their real identities private. Laura said of the experience: "I think everyone once in their lives has been the girl in the red dress"[12][1]. ### Who is the photographer behind Distracted Boyfriend? Antonio Guillem, a 45-year-old professional stock photographer from Barcelona, Spain. He didn't know what a meme was until his models told him the photo had gone viral[6]. ### Did the Distracted Boyfriend photographer make money from the meme? Not directly. The meme photo sold about 700 times per year compared to his top photos at over 6,000 sales annually. Most meme users did not purchase a license, but Guillem said he would not pursue legal action against good-faith users[8]. ### Where was the Distracted Boyfriend photo taken? On Carrer Nou, 31 in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. GeoGuessr player Rainbolt confirmed the exact location in a 2022 Instagram video[4]. ### What is the Distracted Girlfriend meme? A stock photo from the same series where the roles are reversed: the girlfriend is the one checking out another man. It was discovered on Shutterstock in late October 2017 and sparked its own wave of memes[2]. ### Did the meme win any awards? Yes. Distracted Boyfriend won "Meme of the Year" at the 10th annual Shorty Awards on April 15, 2018, beating Galaxy Brain, Roll Safe, and several other nominees[4]. ### How was the meme used in Hungarian politics? In 2019, the Hungarian government used a different stock photo of the same "Laura" and "Mario" models in a pro-natalist advertising campaign promoting tax breaks for large families. The irony of using the "infidelity couple" for family values messaging drew international mockery[14]. ### What is the 18th-century version of the Distracted Boyfriend? A 1761 painting by Joshua Reynolds called "David Garrick Between Tragedy and Comedy," which shows actor David Garrick being pulled between two women in a strikingly similar composition. It hangs in the Tate Modern in London[3]. ### Did the New York Times use the meme? Yes. On May 29, 2019, the Times published a Distracted Boyfriend meme in its Business section to illustrate the proposed Renault-Fiat Chrysler merger, with Renault as the boyfriend, Fiat Chrysler as the other woman, and Nissan as the girlfriend[15]. ## References 1. [I didn't know what a meme was, says Distracted Boyfriend photographer | Social media | The Guardian]() 2. [Distracted Boyfriend Meme: There Is Now a Distracted Girlfriend Meme]() 3. [Someone found the 18th-century version of the distracted boyfriend meme | Mashable]() 4. [Distracted Boyfriend - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Distracted boyfriend]() 6. [Everyone Loves this 18th-Century Version of the Distracted Boyfriend Meme]() 7. [The 'Distracted Boyfriend' Meme Photographer Explains All | WIRED]() 8. [Before ‘distracted boyfriend’, was there ‘distracted girlfriend’?]() 9. [The Story Behind That Viral 'Distracted Boyfriend' Meme Photo | PetaPixel]() 10. [The Distracted Boyfriend Meme Started in 1916 Comic Strip]() 11. [Disloyal Man With His Girlfriend Looking At Another Girl Stock Photo - Download Image Now - iStock]() 12. [Title goes here — klubbhead: GIRL WYD????? DUMP HIM. I did some...]() 13. [People Are Saying That This Photo Is The Real-Life Version Of The "Distracted Boyfriend" Meme]() 14. [Someone found the 18th-century version of the distracted boyfriend meme | Mashable]() 15. [Memes are object-labeled now.]() 16. [Who Are the Models in the ‘Disloyal Man’ Meme?]() 17. [Viktor Orbán: no tax for Hungarian women with four or more children | Viktor Orbán | The Guardian]() 18. [Everyone Loves this 18th-Century Version of the Distracted Boyfriend Meme]() 19. ['Distracted boyfriend' couple star in Hungary pro-family ads]() 20. [Distracted Boyfriend Meme: There Is Now a Distracted Girlfriend Meme]() 21. [Hip New York Times Publishes 2017’s Hottest Meme]() 22. [New Distracted Boyfriend Meme: Groom Distracted by Man in Wedding Photo]() 23. [Artist Gives An Unexpected Twist To The "Distracted Boyfriend" Meme | DeMilked]() 24. [Famous 'distracted boyfriend' meme is brought to LIFE using AI - WSTale.com]() 25. [Meme of the Year in Social Media - Shorty Awards]() 26. [News - CNET]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/distracted-boyfriend Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library