Ivanka Trumps Punk Phase

2017Twitter jokes / photoshop meme / celebrity mockerydead
Ivanka Trump's Punk Phase is a 2017 Twitter meme born from Ivanka's claim of a teenage punk phase in her mother's memoir, sparking widespread photoshops and roasts dismissing a billionaire's daughter's punk credentials.

Ivanka Trump's Punk Phase is a series of jokes, photoshops, and Twitter roasts that erupted in October 2017 after Ivanka Trump claimed she went through a "punk phase" as a teenager in her mother Ivana Trump's memoir *Raising Trump*. The internet collectively decided that a billionaire's daughter crying over Kurt Cobain and dyeing her hair blue once did not exactly qualify as punk, and the mockery was swift and creative.

trump memespolitical satire memessarcasm memesmusic memesprivilege class memes

Overview

The meme centers on the absurdity of Ivanka Trump, daughter of Donald Trump and a lifelong member of New York's ultra-wealthy elite, describing herself as having gone through a "punk phase." In excerpts from *Raising Trump*, Ivanka wrote about loving Nirvana, wearing ripped corduroy jeans and flannel shirts, dyeing her hair blue, and crying for 24 hours straight when Kurt Cobain died2. Twitter users immediately pointed out that what she described was grunge fashion, not punk, and that her privileged upbringing was the antithesis of punk ethos3. The jokes fell into two main categories: puns inserting Trump-family references into classic punk song titles, and imagining what "punk" looked like filtered through extreme wealth.

On October 17, 2017, New York Magazine published excerpts from Ivana Trump's memoir *Raising Trump*, released by Gallery Books2. In a chapter where Ivanka was given space to share her own recollections, she described her adolescent rebellion:

> "During my punk phase in the nineties, I was really into Nirvana. My wardrobe consisted of ripped corduroy jeans and flannel shirts. One day after school, I dyed my hair blue."2

She went on to describe her mother marching to a drugstore for a $10 box of Nice'n Easy hair dye to force Ivanka back to blonde that same night, and then Ivanka crying "inconsolably" in her room for 24 hours after Kurt Cobain's death2. Her mother, she noted, "had no idea who Kurt Cobain was"3.

The political news site The Hill tweeted about the article shortly after publication, which brought the claims to a much wider Twitter audience4.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter (viral spread), New York Magazine (source article)
Creator
Community-created in response to Ivanka Trump's claims in Ivana Trump's memoir *Raising Trump*
Date
2017

On October 17, 2017, New York Magazine published excerpts from Ivana Trump's memoir *Raising Trump*, released by Gallery Books. In a chapter where Ivanka was given space to share her own recollections, she described her adolescent rebellion:

> "During my punk phase in the nineties, I was really into Nirvana. My wardrobe consisted of ripped corduroy jeans and flannel shirts. One day after school, I dyed my hair blue."

She went on to describe her mother marching to a drugstore for a $10 box of Nice'n Easy hair dye to force Ivanka back to blonde that same night, and then Ivanka crying "inconsolably" in her room for 24 hours after Kurt Cobain's death. Her mother, she noted, "had no idea who Kurt Cobain was".

The political news site The Hill tweeted about the article shortly after publication, which brought the claims to a much wider Twitter audience.

How It Spread

The mockery on Twitter was almost instantaneous. Writer Dave Holmes quote-tweeted The Hill's post with "You had- AT MOST- a Sum 41 CD," which picked up more than 7,200 retweets and 44,000 likes within 24 hours. That set the tone for the entire wave of jokes.

Throughout October 17th and 18th, two main styles of humor emerged. The first was punk song title puns: "Ivanka Be Sedated" (riffing on the Ramones), jokes about downloading a single Blink-182 song, and cracks about listening to Dookie during spin class at the Racquet and Tennis Club. The second style involved imagining Trump-family wealth colliding with punk culture. Users joked about ripping a fishnet stocking while getting out of a limousine, wearing plaid to the Met Gala, and Ivanka's punk phase consisting of "a $8k black leather Gucci jacket".

Twitter user @ChristnNitemare posted a preppy photo of Ivanka with her father captioned "Ivanka Trump, punk as fuck in Aspen in 1998," which earned over 2,200 retweets and 11,000 likes. Users also shared actual photos from Ivanka's teenage years, which showed zero evidence of any punk aesthetic whatsoever.

Twitter compiled the best responses into a Moments page. The AV Club published "We have a few questions about Ivanka Trump's 'punk phase,'" methodically dismantling the claims. They pointed out that box dye cannot lift hair "three shades" from blue, that flannel and corduroy is grunge not punk, and that if Ivanka had actually been a Nirvana fan, she would have encountered Cobain's own statement in the liner notes of *Incesticide*: "Punk Rock (while still sacred to some) is, to me, dead and gone". HuffPost, BuzzFeed, Harper's Bazaar, and Wired all ran stories documenting the Twitter response.

One of the sharper observations came from users who noted that calling something a "phase" is inherently un-punk. As one tweet put it: "Oh, sweetheart... if you refer to it as a 'phase', trust me, you were NEVER punk". Others drew comparisons: "Ivanka saying she had a punk phase bc she was into Nirvana is like Taylor Swift saying she had a goth phase bc she was into Avril Lavigne".

The meme also spread to Spanish-language internet, with Mexican outlet Erizos covering the story and noting the irony of a Trump describing herself with countercultural credentials.

How to Use This Meme

The Ivanka Trump Punk Phase format typically works in one of three ways:

Punk pun style: Take a classic punk or rock song title and rewrite it with a Trump-family twist. Examples: "Ivanka Be Sedated," "God Save the Queen of Mar-a-Lago."

Wealth-punk contrast style: Describe an extremely privileged activity using punk framing. The joke is in the gap between actual punk culture and the Trump lifestyle. Example: "I once listened to Dookie while taking a spin class at the Racquet and Tennis Club."

Photo evidence style: Share actual photos of Ivanka from the 1990s looking extremely preppy and caption them as if they prove her punk credentials. Works best with photos that are as far from punk as possible.

Cultural Impact

The meme was one of the bigger celebrity-roast moments on Twitter in 2017, drawing coverage from at least half a dozen major outlets including Wired, The AV Club, HuffPost, BuzzFeed, and Harper's Bazaar. It hit a nerve because it touched on class, authenticity, and the specific gatekeeping culture around punk and its subgenres. The AV Club's piece was particularly detailed, questioning the plausibility of almost every claim in the memoir excerpt, from the hair dye logistics to Ivanka's knowledge of Nirvana's actual discography.

The incident also became a minor case study in how quickly internet communities can coordinate to dismantle a celebrity's attempt at relatability. The memo that Nirvana was grunge, not punk, became a recurring punchline, with users treating the genre misidentification as the most damning evidence of all.

Fun Facts

The AV Club speculated that Ivanka's flannel shirts more likely came from Marc Jacobs' infamous 1993 "grunge collection" for Perry Ellis (which got Jacobs fired) than from any actual punk scene.

Ivanka helpfully explained in the book that Kurt Cobain was "the singer, songwriter, and guitarist for Nirvana," which the AV Club noted made sense given that the book's target audience was "old white people".

The Cut wondered why Ivanka never launched a perfume called "Smells Like Teen Spirit," calling it a "'UGE missed opportunity".

Lauren Duca tweeted: "The only thing Ivanka Trump was less committed to than her 'punk phase' was her feminism phase".

One user joked: "Stop saying Ivanka isn't punk. One time in 1996 she ate her salad with an oyster fork. WITH AN OYSTER FORK".

Frequently Asked Questions

References (11)

  1. 1
    Ivanka Trump Said She Went Through A Punk Phase And Naturally The Internet Responded Beautifullyarticle
  2. 2
    Ivanka Trump Says She Had a ‘Punk Phase’article
  3. 3
    Ivanka Trump Claims She Had A 'Punk Phase,' But Folks Online Aren't Buying It | HuffPost Weird Newsarticle
  4. 4
    Ivanka Trump's Punk Phase - Know Your Memeencyclopedia
  5. 5
    List of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon games and sketchesencyclopedia
  6. 6
    Miley Cyrus on Her Childhood, New Album, and Boyfriend Maxx Morandoarticle
  7. 7
    We have a few questions about Ivanka Trump’s “punk phase”article
  8. 8
    Miley Cyrus on Her Childhood, New Album, and Boyfriend Maxx Morandoarticle
  9. 9
    Ivanka Trump Claims She Had A 'Punk Phase,' But Folks Online Aren't Buying It | HuffPost Weird Newsarticle
  10. 10
    Ivanka Trump revela que tuvo una "fase punk" en su loca adolescencia rebelde - Erizos MXarticle
  11. 11
    Ivanka Trump's Punk Phase and Ted Cruz's Tweeting Top This Week's Internet News | WIREDarticle

Ivanka Trumps Punk Phase

2017Twitter jokes / photoshop meme / celebrity mockerydead
Ivanka Trump's Punk Phase is a 2017 Twitter meme born from Ivanka's claim of a teenage punk phase in her mother's memoir, sparking widespread photoshops and roasts dismissing a billionaire's daughter's punk credentials.

Ivanka Trump's Punk Phase is a series of jokes, photoshops, and Twitter roasts that erupted in October 2017 after Ivanka Trump claimed she went through a "punk phase" as a teenager in her mother Ivana Trump's memoir *Raising Trump*. The internet collectively decided that a billionaire's daughter crying over Kurt Cobain and dyeing her hair blue once did not exactly qualify as punk, and the mockery was swift and creative.

trump memes political satire memes sarcasm memes music memes privilege class memes

Overview

The meme centers on the absurdity of Ivanka Trump, daughter of Donald Trump and a lifelong member of New York's ultra-wealthy elite, describing herself as having gone through a "punk phase." In excerpts from *Raising Trump*, Ivanka wrote about loving Nirvana, wearing ripped corduroy jeans and flannel shirts, dyeing her hair blue, and crying for 24 hours straight when Kurt Cobain died. Twitter users immediately pointed out that what she described was grunge fashion, not punk, and that her privileged upbringing was the antithesis of punk ethos. The jokes fell into two main categories: puns inserting Trump-family references into classic punk song titles, and imagining what "punk" looked like filtered through extreme wealth.

On October 17, 2017, New York Magazine published excerpts from Ivana Trump's memoir *Raising Trump*, released by Gallery Books. In a chapter where Ivanka was given space to share her own recollections, she described her adolescent rebellion:

> "During my punk phase in the nineties, I was really into Nirvana. My wardrobe consisted of ripped corduroy jeans and flannel shirts. One day after school, I dyed my hair blue."

She went on to describe her mother marching to a drugstore for a $10 box of Nice'n Easy hair dye to force Ivanka back to blonde that same night, and then Ivanka crying "inconsolably" in her room for 24 hours after Kurt Cobain's death. Her mother, she noted, "had no idea who Kurt Cobain was".

The political news site The Hill tweeted about the article shortly after publication, which brought the claims to a much wider Twitter audience.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter (viral spread), New York Magazine (source article)
Creator
Community-created in response to Ivanka Trump's claims in Ivana Trump's memoir *Raising Trump*
Date
2017

On October 17, 2017, New York Magazine published excerpts from Ivana Trump's memoir *Raising Trump*, released by Gallery Books. In a chapter where Ivanka was given space to share her own recollections, she described her adolescent rebellion:

> "During my punk phase in the nineties, I was really into Nirvana. My wardrobe consisted of ripped corduroy jeans and flannel shirts. One day after school, I dyed my hair blue."

She went on to describe her mother marching to a drugstore for a $10 box of Nice'n Easy hair dye to force Ivanka back to blonde that same night, and then Ivanka crying "inconsolably" in her room for 24 hours after Kurt Cobain's death. Her mother, she noted, "had no idea who Kurt Cobain was".

The political news site The Hill tweeted about the article shortly after publication, which brought the claims to a much wider Twitter audience.

How It Spread

The mockery on Twitter was almost instantaneous. Writer Dave Holmes quote-tweeted The Hill's post with "You had- AT MOST- a Sum 41 CD," which picked up more than 7,200 retweets and 44,000 likes within 24 hours. That set the tone for the entire wave of jokes.

Throughout October 17th and 18th, two main styles of humor emerged. The first was punk song title puns: "Ivanka Be Sedated" (riffing on the Ramones), jokes about downloading a single Blink-182 song, and cracks about listening to Dookie during spin class at the Racquet and Tennis Club. The second style involved imagining Trump-family wealth colliding with punk culture. Users joked about ripping a fishnet stocking while getting out of a limousine, wearing plaid to the Met Gala, and Ivanka's punk phase consisting of "a $8k black leather Gucci jacket".

Twitter user @ChristnNitemare posted a preppy photo of Ivanka with her father captioned "Ivanka Trump, punk as fuck in Aspen in 1998," which earned over 2,200 retweets and 11,000 likes. Users also shared actual photos from Ivanka's teenage years, which showed zero evidence of any punk aesthetic whatsoever.

Twitter compiled the best responses into a Moments page. The AV Club published "We have a few questions about Ivanka Trump's 'punk phase,'" methodically dismantling the claims. They pointed out that box dye cannot lift hair "three shades" from blue, that flannel and corduroy is grunge not punk, and that if Ivanka had actually been a Nirvana fan, she would have encountered Cobain's own statement in the liner notes of *Incesticide*: "Punk Rock (while still sacred to some) is, to me, dead and gone". HuffPost, BuzzFeed, Harper's Bazaar, and Wired all ran stories documenting the Twitter response.

One of the sharper observations came from users who noted that calling something a "phase" is inherently un-punk. As one tweet put it: "Oh, sweetheart... if you refer to it as a 'phase', trust me, you were NEVER punk". Others drew comparisons: "Ivanka saying she had a punk phase bc she was into Nirvana is like Taylor Swift saying she had a goth phase bc she was into Avril Lavigne".

The meme also spread to Spanish-language internet, with Mexican outlet Erizos covering the story and noting the irony of a Trump describing herself with countercultural credentials.

How to Use This Meme

The Ivanka Trump Punk Phase format typically works in one of three ways:

Punk pun style: Take a classic punk or rock song title and rewrite it with a Trump-family twist. Examples: "Ivanka Be Sedated," "God Save the Queen of Mar-a-Lago."

Wealth-punk contrast style: Describe an extremely privileged activity using punk framing. The joke is in the gap between actual punk culture and the Trump lifestyle. Example: "I once listened to Dookie while taking a spin class at the Racquet and Tennis Club."

Photo evidence style: Share actual photos of Ivanka from the 1990s looking extremely preppy and caption them as if they prove her punk credentials. Works best with photos that are as far from punk as possible.

Cultural Impact

The meme was one of the bigger celebrity-roast moments on Twitter in 2017, drawing coverage from at least half a dozen major outlets including Wired, The AV Club, HuffPost, BuzzFeed, and Harper's Bazaar. It hit a nerve because it touched on class, authenticity, and the specific gatekeeping culture around punk and its subgenres. The AV Club's piece was particularly detailed, questioning the plausibility of almost every claim in the memoir excerpt, from the hair dye logistics to Ivanka's knowledge of Nirvana's actual discography.

The incident also became a minor case study in how quickly internet communities can coordinate to dismantle a celebrity's attempt at relatability. The memo that Nirvana was grunge, not punk, became a recurring punchline, with users treating the genre misidentification as the most damning evidence of all.

Fun Facts

The AV Club speculated that Ivanka's flannel shirts more likely came from Marc Jacobs' infamous 1993 "grunge collection" for Perry Ellis (which got Jacobs fired) than from any actual punk scene.

Ivanka helpfully explained in the book that Kurt Cobain was "the singer, songwriter, and guitarist for Nirvana," which the AV Club noted made sense given that the book's target audience was "old white people".

The Cut wondered why Ivanka never launched a perfume called "Smells Like Teen Spirit," calling it a "'UGE missed opportunity".

Lauren Duca tweeted: "The only thing Ivanka Trump was less committed to than her 'punk phase' was her feminism phase".

One user joked: "Stop saying Ivanka isn't punk. One time in 1996 she ate her salad with an oyster fork. WITH AN OYSTER FORK".

Frequently Asked Questions