# Facepalm > Facepalm is a 2000s reaction-image meme centered on a *Star Trek: The Next Generation* screenshot of Captain Picard, depicting the palm-to-face gesture of frustration or disbelief. Facepalm is both a universal human gesture and one of the internet's most enduring reaction memes, depicting someone pressing their palm against their face to express frustration, embarrassment, or disbelief. The gesture dates back centuries in art and culture, but the term "facepalm" emerged online in the mid-1990s and exploded into meme status in the 2000s, largely thanks to a screenshot of Captain Jean-Luc Picard from *Star Trek: The Next Generation*. By 2011, "facepalm" had been added to the Oxford English Dictionary, and in 2016, Unicode gave it an official emoji (🤦), making it a permanent fixture of digital communication. ## Origin The physical gesture of covering one's face in frustration predates the internet by millennia. An ancient Roman artwork on Trajan's Column (circa 113 A.D.) depicts a soldier resting his face in his hand after a lost battle[8]. Henri Vidal's 1896 sculpture "Caïn," displayed in Paris's Tuileries Garden, shows the biblical Cain cradling his head in regret after killing his brother[3]. The word "facepalm" first appeared in writing on May 15, 1996, in a Usenet group post (bit.listserv.superguy): "Christie facepalmed. 'Well, her hair was red this morning, right? It's blonde now. You figure it out.'"[2]. A second usage followed less than a week later in another Usenet post: "Lee facepalmed. 'Arrgh...'"[4]. Both early uses treated the word as a verb, describing a character's action in a roleplaying context. The most famous visual source for facepalm memes aired on February 5, 1990, during the *Star Trek: The Next Generation* episode "Deja Q." The scene shows Captain Picard, played by Patrick Stewart, pressing his hand to his face while reacting to a stressful situation aboard the Enterprise[3]. - **Platform:** Usenet (term), Star Trek: The Next Generation (iconic image) - **Creator:** Unknown (Usenet term originator), Patrick Stewart (actor in iconic Picard image) - **Date:** 1996 (term coined online), 1990 (Picard source image) ## Overview The facepalm is a gesture where someone places the palm of their hand against their face, covering their eyes or forehead[4]. It signals dismay, exasperation, embarrassment, or sheer disbelief at someone else's stupidity or one's own mistake[3]. Online, people share reaction images, GIFs, and videos of the gesture as shorthand for "I cannot believe this is happening"[7]. The most iconic facepalm image comes from Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard in *Star Trek: The Next Generation*, but the meme extends far beyond a single image. Stock photos of stressed-out businesspeople, anime characters, and the 🤦 emoji all serve the same purpose[8]. The word itself functions as a noun ("that was a total facepalm"), a verb ("I facepalmed so hard"), and an interjection ("*facepalm*"), often written between asterisks in chat to indicate the physical gesture[2]. ## How It Spread The term picked up steam on message boards in the early 2000s. Word Spy cites a 2001 message board post as an early usage, though that original post is no longer available[10]. On February 10, 2004, Urban Dictionary user Moondog defined "facepalm" as "the act of dropping one's face / forehead into one's hand," and the entry collected over 2,500 upvotes[5]. Wiktionary added its own definition on September 5, 2005, describing it as a gesture of "mixed humor and disbelief"[3]. The domain facepalm.com was registered on May 1, 2007[3]. That same month, YouTuber Johan Jacobsen uploaded the earliest known video explicitly framing Picard's gesture as a "facepalm" on May 21, 2007, and it pulled in more than 489,000 views[3]. On January 14, 2008, Engadget used a Picard facepalm screenshot as a reaction to a story about absurd *Mass Effect* criticism, writing "Happy facepalming gentle readers"[11]. This marked one of the first major tech publications to deploy the image as editorial commentary. Reddit's r/facepalm subreddit launched on August 28, 2009, created by user namsilat as a hub for sharing content "that causes viewers to facepalm"[3]. The subreddit grew into one of the platform's most popular communities for cringe and fail content. Macmillan Dictionary formally added "facepalm" in 2006[8]. The Oxford English Dictionary followed in August 2011, defining it as "a gesture in which the palm of one's hand is brought to one's face as an expression of dismay, exasperation, embarrassment, etc."[4]. Oxford lexicographer Susie Dent noted the word's grammatical flexibility as a key indicator of its linguistic staying power: "One of the reasons I think it is so successful is that the phrase can move about in different ways and you can put it into different parts of speech"[8]. On January 29, 2012, the Picard facepalm was uploaded to Meme Generator, where it spawned over 23,000 custom image macros within several years[3]. The image became the go-to template for any situation involving baffling incompetence or logic failures. In 2016, Unicode 9.0 officially added the facepalm emoji (🤦, U+1F926) as "Person Facepalming"[1]. Apple introduced its version later that year, giving texters a native way to express the gesture without needing a Picard screenshot[8]. The emoji is used to express frustration, secondhand embarrassment, or mild exasperation, often in a context similar to "SMH" (shaking my head)[1]. ## How to Use The facepalm works in nearly any context where someone does or says something baffling. Common approaches: 1. **Reaction image:** Post the Picard facepalm (or any facepalm photo) in response to a bad take, a fail video, or a cringe moment. 2. **Text gesture:** Type \*facepalm\* or (facepalm) between other text to indicate you're performing the gesture in response to what was just said. 3. **Emoji:** Drop a 🤦 in reply to a message. Often paired with text like "🤦 how is this real" or used solo as a complete response. 4. **Image macro:** Use the Picard Facepalm template on a meme generator. Top text typically sets up the situation; the image delivers the reaction. ## Cultural Impact The facepalm's journey from Usenet to the Oxford English Dictionary made it a case study in how internet culture shapes mainstream language. Merriam-Webster featured the word in its "Words We're Watching" series, calling it an example of a gesture that existed for centuries before gaining a single, catchy name[2]. The 2016 Unicode adoption was a milestone for emoji culture broadly. The facepalm joined a select group of internet-native expressions (along with "SMH") that received official emoji status based on popular demand[1]. Media coverage from outlets like Inverse traced the gesture's lineage from Trajan's Column through Picard to the emoji keyboard[8]. The 2019 Texas SandFest competition awarded first place to Damon Langlois for "Liberty Crumbling," a sand sculpture of Abraham Lincoln performing a facepalm on a crumbling platform[4]. The piece demonstrated how deeply the gesture's meaning had penetrated American visual culture, working as both political commentary and internet reference simultaneously. ## Fun Facts - Mandrill monkeys at Colchester Zoo were observed using a facepalm-like gesture to signal they want to be left alone, making the facepalm one of the few meme gestures with a documented cross-species equivalent[4]. - The earliest written use of "facepalm" was in a roleplaying fiction post on Usenet in 1996, used as a verb to describe a character's reaction[2]. - "Facepalm" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in August 2011, just 15 years after its first known written appearance[4]. - The word was recognized by Macmillan Dictionary even earlier, in 2006[8]. - Henri Vidal's 1896 sculpture "Caïn" is often cited as the oldest famous depiction of the facepalm gesture, but a Roman relief on Trajan's Column (circa 113 A.D.) predates it by nearly 1,800 years[8]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Facepalm? Facepalm is a gesture where someone places their palm against their face to express frustration, embarrassment, or disbelief. Online, it's used as a reaction meme through images, GIFs, the 🤦 emoji, or simply typing \*facepalm\*[3]. ### Where did Facepalm come from? The gesture is ancient, but the word "facepalm" first appeared in writing on May 15, 1996, in a Usenet post. The most iconic meme image comes from a 1990 episode of *Star Trek: The Next Generation* featuring Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard[2]. ### What does Facepalm mean? It conveys dismay at someone's stupidity or one's own mistake. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "a gesture in which the palm of one's hand is brought to one's face as an expression of dismay, exasperation, embarrassment"[4]. ### How do you use Facepalm? Post a facepalm reaction image (like the Picard screenshot) in response to something cringe-worthy, type \*facepalm\* in a chat, or send the 🤦 emoji. It works for reacting to others' failures or acknowledging your own[1]. ### Is Facepalm still popular? Yes. As of 2026, the facepalm is flagged as a "Breakout" trend, with fresh waves of usage tied to PR disasters, AI mistakes, and viral fail content[7]. The emoji version keeps it in constant use across all messaging platforms. ### When was the Facepalm emoji added? The facepalm emoji (🤦) was added to Unicode 9.0 in 2016 as "Person Facepalming." It was originally displayed with gendered appearances but most platforms now show a gender-neutral version[1]. ### When did Facepalm enter the dictionary? Macmillan Dictionary added it in 2006[8]. The Oxford English Dictionary followed in August 2011, and Merriam-Webster featured it in their "Words We're Watching" series before formally adding it in February 2017[2]. ### What is the Picard Facepalm? It's a screenshot of Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard pressing his hand to his face in the *Star Trek: The Next Generation* episode "Deja Q" (aired February 5, 1990). The image generated over 23,000 memes on Meme Generator after being uploaded there in January 2012[3]. ### What is the r/facepalm subreddit? A Reddit community launched on August 28, 2009, by user namsilat, dedicated to sharing content that makes viewers facepalm, including screenshots of bad takes, logic failures, and embarrassing moments[3]. ### Do animals facepalm? Mandrill monkeys at Colchester Zoo were documented using a palm-to-face gesture to signal they want to avoid social interaction, making the facepalm one of the few human gestures with a known animal parallel[4]. ### What's the difference between Facepalm and SMH? Both express frustration or disbelief. "SMH" (shaking my head) tends to signal disapproval or disappointment, while facepalm carries more of a "stunned by stupidity" tone. The facepalm emoji is sometimes used interchangeably with SMH in casual contexts[1]. ### Is Facepalm a noun or a verb? Both, plus an interjection. Its earliest uses in 1996 were as a verb ("Christie facepalmed"), but it quickly spread to noun usage ("what a facepalm") and interjection usage ("\*facepalm\*"). This grammatical flexibility is one reason lexicographers consider it a linguistically successful word[2]. ## References 1. [facepalm.com WHOIS Domain Name Lookup - Who.is]() 2. [🤦 Person Facepalming Emoji | Meaning, Copy And Paste]() 3. [How 'Facepalm' Became a Word | Merriam-Webster]() 4. [Facepalm - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Facepalm]() 6. [Facepalm - Urban Dictionary]() 7. [Urban Dictionary: facepalm]() 8. [Facepalm Meme, Explained – WAHUP]() 9. [The Facepalm, the Newest Emoji, Dates Back Thousands of Years]() 10. [Is Facepalm a Real Word? A Linguistic Look]() 11. [facepalm]() 12. [Most bizarre thing you'll read today: Mass Effect's 'virtual orgasmic rape']() 13. [facepalm - Wiktionary, the free dictionary]() 14. [🤦 Person Facepalming Emoji | Meaning, Copy And Paste]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/facepalm Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library