Feeling Cute Might Delete Later

2017image macroclassic

Published August 20, 2026

Feeling Cute, Might Delete Later is an image macro format that started with a Squidward selfie posted to Twitter in January 2017. By spring 2019 the caption mutated into the #FeelingCuteChallenge, where workers and public figures swapped the original 'delete' line for absurd or job-related actions.

catchphrase memesselfie memeschallenge memessnowclone memesspongebob

Overview

Feeling Cute, Might Delete Later is an image macro format where selfie-style photos of people, animals, or fictional characters get captioned with a note that the poster felt attractive but might delete the picture later4. The template began with a Squidward illustration in January 2017 and built momentum through animal-selfie variants and celebrity iterations over the next two years.

By spring 2019 the caption mutated into a full #FeelingCuteChallenge, where workers and public figures paired the 'feeling cute' opener with an absurd or job-related action instead of the original 'delete later' ending1. That workplace wave pushed the format into mainstream news coverage, some of it critical after posts from correctional officers surfaced.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter
Creator
@PapaCone_
Date
2017

On January 22, 2017, Twitter user @PapaCone_ posted a drawing of the SpongeBob SquarePants character Squidward taking a selfie captioned 'might delete soon but I felt cute in this pic 😋😘🙊💖'5. The tweet gathered more than 43,200 likes and 18,500 retweets over the following seven months, seeding the template that later posts would riff on.

Five days later, on January 27, 2017, Twitter user @DankMemes posted a dog selfie with a nearly identical caption, opening the animal-picture branch of the format that ran in parallel with the human-selfie version.

How It Spread

Through the rest of 2017 the format hopped between platforms. Twitter user @laogn posted a Club Penguin avatar selfie on April 25, Redditor princessraquel reposted the Squidward image to r/bikinibottomtwitter on June 14, and on July 8 Twitter user @Drops shared a Snapchat Dancing Hot Dog version captioned 'Feeling cute, might delete later idk tho'4.

The template broke into much wider circulation on October 30, 2018, when Dr. Phil posted a Halloween costume photo of himself dressed as Kid Rock captioned 'Felt cute, might delete later'6. The post drew more than 279,600 likes and 84,700 retweets within hours, riding on a viral tweet from October 14 by @jakesaysyousuck that had compared Kid Rock's appearance to Dr. Phil7.

In spring 2019 the caption turned into a workplace challenge. A Facebook post by Courtney Muse of a UPS employee captioned 'Feeling cute, Might deliver your package later, IDK' pulled in more than 107,000 shares on March 30, and on April 10 an Instagram post of a Columbus Water Works employee captioned 'Feeling cute. Might cut your water off later…idk' gathered upward of 92,700 likes3. The mood darkened when Texas correctional officers were placed under investigation for #FeelingCuteChallenge posts including one that threatened to 'gas some inmates today', as reported by the Houston Chronicle on April 161. Reason followed the next day with a piece titled 'Prison Guards Are #FeelingCute About Threatening To Assault Inmates for No Reason'2.

How to Use This Meme

The template typically pairs a selfie or selfie-style photo with a caption following 'feeling cute' or 'felt cute, might X later, idk', where X can be the original 'delete this' or any absurd, mundane, or job-related action. Common convention keeps the text lowercase, ends with 'idk', and adds a small string of emojis. The comedic hit sits in the mismatch between the vulnerable 'feeling cute' opener and whatever unexpected line follows.

Frequently Asked Questions