How It Started vs How Its Going

2020Image comparison format / hashtag trendsemi-active

Also known as: How It Started How It Ended · How I Pulled Up How We Coming

How It Started vs. How It's Going is a September 2020 Twitter meme pairing before-and-after images, originating from relationship posts and spreading to career achievements, sports milestones, and ironic takes.

How It Started vs. How It's Going is a Twitter meme format where users post two side-by-side images comparing a beginning point with a current state. It took off in late September 2020 when relationship posts using the format went viral, then quickly expanded to career achievements, sports nostalgia, ironic jokes, and brand participation. The trend became one of the defining wholesome memes of the pandemic era, giving people a rare excuse for optimism during a rough year.

two panel memescomparison memeswholesome memes2020 memesrelationship memes

Overview

The format is simple: two photos arranged side by side (or stacked vertically), with the first labeled "How it started" and the second labeled "How it's going." The first image shows a humble, early, or unexpected beginning. The second shows where things ended up. The contrast between the two is the whole joke, or in many cases, the whole inspiration4.

What made the format so popular was its flexibility. It worked for relationship milestones, career glow-ups, sports nostalgia, pet adoption stories, and absurdist humor. There were no strict rules about what qualified. Some posts were deeply personal, others were corporate marketing, and plenty were ironic parodies of the wholesome versions5.

On September 23rd, 2020, Twitter user @vjillanelles posted a tweet with two images: a screenshot of a DM conversation as the first photo, and a picture of herself with her partner as the second4. The captions read "how it started" and "how it ended." The tweet picked up over 25,000 likes and 1,100 retweets within two weeks4.

This appears to be the earliest use of the specific format. Notably, the original version used "how it ended" rather than "how it's going" as the second label4. The shift to "how it's going" happened organically as other users adopted and tweaked the template.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter
Creator
@vjillanelles
Date
2020

On September 23rd, 2020, Twitter user @vjillanelles posted a tweet with two images: a screenshot of a DM conversation as the first photo, and a picture of herself with her partner as the second. The captions read "how it started" and "how it ended." The tweet picked up over 25,000 likes and 1,100 retweets within two weeks.

This appears to be the earliest use of the specific format. Notably, the original version used "how it ended" rather than "how it's going" as the second label. The shift to "how it's going" happened organically as other users adopted and tweaked the template.

How It Spread

The format spread fast. By September 24th, Twitter user Taylor Phillips posted her own version, pulling in over 60,000 likes and 10,000 retweets within 13 days. The next day, user @serinide added another popular entry with 4,700 likes. Within the first two weeks, the trend had locked in as a relationship-focused format, with couples sharing DM screenshots alongside current photos.

By early October, the scope blew wide open. Users started applying the labels to career milestones, personal growth, and increasingly, parody posts. On October 4th, Twitter user @MahmudMay12 posted an ironic version mocking the format itself. The next day, @WonnJamesss went bigger with a parody that grabbed 13,500 likes and 7,700 retweets in just two days.

Verified and corporate accounts jumped in during the same week. Xbox France posted a comparison using old and new Flight Simulator screenshots on October 7th. Young Money's label account tweeted photos of Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj alongside literal goats, racking up 5,200 likes. Sports teams flooded the format that same week, with ESPN covering the trend as athletes, coaches, and franchises shared throwback photos paired with current ones. Lionel Messi as a kid next to his adult self, Kylian Mbappe with two different World Cup trophies, and Steve Kerr looking suspiciously un-aged all made the rounds.

Celebrities picked it up too. Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, Ellie Goulding, and Alyson Stoner all posted their own versions. Dr. Jill Biden shared a personal one showing her and Joe Biden's journey. Rapper Quavo put his own spin on it on October 7th, labeling his photos "HOW I PULLED UP" and "HOW WE COMING," with a screenshot showing his opening DM to Saweetie: a snowflake emoji and the line "U so icy ima glacier boy". That pickup line became its own mini-meme, with Twitter users copying it in their own DMs.

Mainstream media coverage hit on October 7th, with write-ups from Yahoo News, Bored Panda, ESPN, and The Indian Express all dropping on the same day. Bored Panda framed it as a "wholesome" antidote to the nonstop bad news of 2020, connecting the trend to the psychological concept of "rosy retrospection," where people remember the past more positively than it actually was. The Mary Sue noted the meme's unusual flexibility, describing it as "sort of all over the place" in the best way.

The Hindustan Times covered the trend's expansion beyond couples, noting how pet owners, career achievers, and sports fans had all adopted it. Ball State University's CCIM program ran a whole feature asking ten community members to share the stories behind their posts, with personal narratives about first-generation college students, Emmy-winning producers, and NFL staff who almost didn't apply for their jobs.

Platforms

TwitterRedditTwitter

Timeline

2021-01-01

Meme still see steady use

2022-01-01

How It Started vs How Its Going reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The format works like this:

1

Pick two images that show a clear before-and-after.

2

Label the first "How it started" (or a variation like "How I pulled up").

3

Label the second "How it's going" or "How it ended."

4

The gap between the two images does the heavy lifting. The bigger or funnier the contrast, the better.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The trend landed at a specific cultural moment. October 2020 was deep into the COVID-19 pandemic, a contentious U.S. election cycle, and a general mood of exhaustion. Bored Panda explicitly positioned the meme as a counterweight to doomscrolling, citing research on how scary news triggers compulsive feed-checking. The article referenced Rebecca Renner's National Geographic piece on how pandemic anxiety kept people glued to bad news, and framed "How It Started vs. How It's Going" as a rare positive interruption.

The format also crossed from social media into institutional use. Ball State University used it for alumni storytelling, with multiple departments and programs encouraging students and graduates to participate. Sports organizations treated it as a fan engagement tool, with teams across the NFL, NBA, and international soccer posting their own versions during that first week of October.

Brand adoption was swift and widespread. Beyond Xbox France and Young Money, the format became a standard social media marketing play for any account looking to show history or progress. The ease of participation (just two photos and a caption) made it one of the lowest-barrier viral trends of 2020.

Fun Facts

The original tweet by @vjillanelles used "how it ended," not "how it's going." The more optimistic phrasing was a crowd-sourced evolution.

Quavo's DM to Saweetie ("U so icy ima glacier boy") started as part of the trend but became a standalone meme when people began sending the snowflake emoji as a pickup line to strangers.

ESPN noted that Steve Kerr's "how it started vs. how it's going" comparison was remarkable mainly because the man appeared not to have aged.

Bored Panda connected the trend's appeal to the psychological bias called "rosy retrospection," where autobiographical memories skew toward positivity.

Ball State's CCIM feature included a dean who had dropped out of college and later returned to teach the very subject (statistics) that drove him away.

Derivatives & Variations

How It Started vs How Its Going Variations

Different takes on the How It Started vs How Its Going format with modified content

(2020)

How It Started vs How Its Going Mashups

Combinations of How It Started vs How Its Going with other popular memes

(2021)

How It Started vs How Its Going Remixes

Updated versions with current events and references

(2021)

Frequently Asked Questions

How It Started vs How Its Going

2020Image comparison format / hashtag trendsemi-active

Also known as: How It Started How It Ended · How I Pulled Up How We Coming

How It Started vs. How It's Going is a September 2020 Twitter meme pairing before-and-after images, originating from relationship posts and spreading to career achievements, sports milestones, and ironic takes.

How It Started vs. How It's Going is a Twitter meme format where users post two side-by-side images comparing a beginning point with a current state. It took off in late September 2020 when relationship posts using the format went viral, then quickly expanded to career achievements, sports nostalgia, ironic jokes, and brand participation. The trend became one of the defining wholesome memes of the pandemic era, giving people a rare excuse for optimism during a rough year.

two panel memes comparison memes wholesome memes 2020 memes relationship memes

Overview

The format is simple: two photos arranged side by side (or stacked vertically), with the first labeled "How it started" and the second labeled "How it's going." The first image shows a humble, early, or unexpected beginning. The second shows where things ended up. The contrast between the two is the whole joke, or in many cases, the whole inspiration.

What made the format so popular was its flexibility. It worked for relationship milestones, career glow-ups, sports nostalgia, pet adoption stories, and absurdist humor. There were no strict rules about what qualified. Some posts were deeply personal, others were corporate marketing, and plenty were ironic parodies of the wholesome versions.

On September 23rd, 2020, Twitter user @vjillanelles posted a tweet with two images: a screenshot of a DM conversation as the first photo, and a picture of herself with her partner as the second. The captions read "how it started" and "how it ended." The tweet picked up over 25,000 likes and 1,100 retweets within two weeks.

This appears to be the earliest use of the specific format. Notably, the original version used "how it ended" rather than "how it's going" as the second label. The shift to "how it's going" happened organically as other users adopted and tweaked the template.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter
Creator
@vjillanelles
Date
2020

On September 23rd, 2020, Twitter user @vjillanelles posted a tweet with two images: a screenshot of a DM conversation as the first photo, and a picture of herself with her partner as the second. The captions read "how it started" and "how it ended." The tweet picked up over 25,000 likes and 1,100 retweets within two weeks.

This appears to be the earliest use of the specific format. Notably, the original version used "how it ended" rather than "how it's going" as the second label. The shift to "how it's going" happened organically as other users adopted and tweaked the template.

How It Spread

The format spread fast. By September 24th, Twitter user Taylor Phillips posted her own version, pulling in over 60,000 likes and 10,000 retweets within 13 days. The next day, user @serinide added another popular entry with 4,700 likes. Within the first two weeks, the trend had locked in as a relationship-focused format, with couples sharing DM screenshots alongside current photos.

By early October, the scope blew wide open. Users started applying the labels to career milestones, personal growth, and increasingly, parody posts. On October 4th, Twitter user @MahmudMay12 posted an ironic version mocking the format itself. The next day, @WonnJamesss went bigger with a parody that grabbed 13,500 likes and 7,700 retweets in just two days.

Verified and corporate accounts jumped in during the same week. Xbox France posted a comparison using old and new Flight Simulator screenshots on October 7th. Young Money's label account tweeted photos of Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj alongside literal goats, racking up 5,200 likes. Sports teams flooded the format that same week, with ESPN covering the trend as athletes, coaches, and franchises shared throwback photos paired with current ones. Lionel Messi as a kid next to his adult self, Kylian Mbappe with two different World Cup trophies, and Steve Kerr looking suspiciously un-aged all made the rounds.

Celebrities picked it up too. Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, Ellie Goulding, and Alyson Stoner all posted their own versions. Dr. Jill Biden shared a personal one showing her and Joe Biden's journey. Rapper Quavo put his own spin on it on October 7th, labeling his photos "HOW I PULLED UP" and "HOW WE COMING," with a screenshot showing his opening DM to Saweetie: a snowflake emoji and the line "U so icy ima glacier boy". That pickup line became its own mini-meme, with Twitter users copying it in their own DMs.

Mainstream media coverage hit on October 7th, with write-ups from Yahoo News, Bored Panda, ESPN, and The Indian Express all dropping on the same day. Bored Panda framed it as a "wholesome" antidote to the nonstop bad news of 2020, connecting the trend to the psychological concept of "rosy retrospection," where people remember the past more positively than it actually was. The Mary Sue noted the meme's unusual flexibility, describing it as "sort of all over the place" in the best way.

The Hindustan Times covered the trend's expansion beyond couples, noting how pet owners, career achievers, and sports fans had all adopted it. Ball State University's CCIM program ran a whole feature asking ten community members to share the stories behind their posts, with personal narratives about first-generation college students, Emmy-winning producers, and NFL staff who almost didn't apply for their jobs.

Platforms

TwitterRedditTwitter

Timeline

2021-01-01

Meme still see steady use

2022-01-01

How It Started vs How Its Going reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The format works like this:

1

Pick two images that show a clear before-and-after.

2

Label the first "How it started" (or a variation like "How I pulled up").

3

Label the second "How it's going" or "How it ended."

4

The gap between the two images does the heavy lifting. The bigger or funnier the contrast, the better.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The trend landed at a specific cultural moment. October 2020 was deep into the COVID-19 pandemic, a contentious U.S. election cycle, and a general mood of exhaustion. Bored Panda explicitly positioned the meme as a counterweight to doomscrolling, citing research on how scary news triggers compulsive feed-checking. The article referenced Rebecca Renner's National Geographic piece on how pandemic anxiety kept people glued to bad news, and framed "How It Started vs. How It's Going" as a rare positive interruption.

The format also crossed from social media into institutional use. Ball State University used it for alumni storytelling, with multiple departments and programs encouraging students and graduates to participate. Sports organizations treated it as a fan engagement tool, with teams across the NFL, NBA, and international soccer posting their own versions during that first week of October.

Brand adoption was swift and widespread. Beyond Xbox France and Young Money, the format became a standard social media marketing play for any account looking to show history or progress. The ease of participation (just two photos and a caption) made it one of the lowest-barrier viral trends of 2020.

Fun Facts

The original tweet by @vjillanelles used "how it ended," not "how it's going." The more optimistic phrasing was a crowd-sourced evolution.

Quavo's DM to Saweetie ("U so icy ima glacier boy") started as part of the trend but became a standalone meme when people began sending the snowflake emoji as a pickup line to strangers.

ESPN noted that Steve Kerr's "how it started vs. how it's going" comparison was remarkable mainly because the man appeared not to have aged.

Bored Panda connected the trend's appeal to the psychological bias called "rosy retrospection," where autobiographical memories skew toward positivity.

Ball State's CCIM feature included a dean who had dropped out of college and later returned to teach the very subject (statistics) that drove him away.

Derivatives & Variations

How It Started vs How Its Going Variations

Different takes on the How It Started vs How Its Going format with modified content

(2020)

How It Started vs How Its Going Mashups

Combinations of How It Started vs How Its Going with other popular memes

(2021)

How It Started vs How Its Going Remixes

Updated versions with current events and references

(2021)

Frequently Asked Questions