# Get You a Man Who Can Do Both

> Get You a Man Who Can Do Both is a 2016 Twitter image-macro format pairing contrasting formal and casual photos of the same person, originating from a Drake comparison that urges finding someone versatile enough to pull off both looks.

"Get You a Man Who Can Do Both" is a Twitter copypasta and image macro format that pairs two contrasting photos of the same person, one formal and one casual, with the caption urging viewers to find someone versatile enough to pull off both looks. The meme originated on February 14, 2016, when a tweet comparing two photos of Drake went viral, and it quickly spawned countless parodies featuring celebrities, fictional characters, and everyday people. The format tapped into online conversations about the perceived divide between "class" and "swag," turning a simple fashion comparison into a widely adopted template for humor and social commentary.

## Origin
On February 14, 2016 (Valentine's Day, fittingly), Twitter user @MikeShotya_ posted a side-by-side of rapper Drake: one photo in a sharp suit and tie, the other in warm-up gear and a Michael Jordan baseball cap[2]. The caption read simply, "Get you a man who can do both." Within a month, the tweet pulled in over 15,200 likes and 11,500 retweets[2]. The tweet struck a nerve because Drake's whole public persona was built on code-switching between polished and casual, between hard rap and soft R&B. He was, as NY Mag put it, "the poster boy for 'do both'"[1].

- **Platform:** Twitter
- **Creator:** @MikeShotya_ (original poster)
- **Date:** 2016

## Overview
The format is straightforward: place two photos of the same person side by side, one showing them dressed up (suit, tie, formal event) and the other showing them in casual or street wear. Slap the caption "Get you a man who can do both" on or above the images. The humor comes from the contrast between the two looks, and the joke scales from sincere appreciation to absurd parody depending on who's being featured. While the original tweet played it relatively straight with Drake, the parodies quickly pushed the format into ridiculous territory by applying it to people for whom the "class vs. swag" binary made zero sense[1].

## How It Spread
The parodies started rolling in within hours. On February 15, Twitter user @Larrymoans_ replied with photos of English actor James Corden on a red carpet versus wearing a polo shirt[2]. The same day, @kurtis_connor posted photos of Guy Fieri alongside the original Drake tweet with the caption "found him"[2].

By February 16, the format had jumped from music Twitter to political humor. Twitter user Chris Person (@Papapishu) posted a version with Jeb Bush wearing a blazer in one photo and a hoodie in the other[2]. On February 17, a Redditor brought it to /r/h3h3productions with a version featuring Ethan Klein[2].

NY Mag ran a full analysis of the meme on February 18, 2016, just four days after the original tweet[1]. The article broke down why each celebrity parody worked (or didn't) based on the racial and cultural expectations baked into the "class vs. swag" divide. The piece noted that the meme was "an excellent meme that reveals a lot about what we ask of our celebrities and, by extension, ourselves"[1]. Bill Nye worked because a famous white scientist isn't expected to be "swaggy." Guy Fieri worked because he exists outside both categories entirely, occupying his own universe of "frosted tips, irrational excitement, and fryer grease"[1]. The Barack Obama version landed because, like Drake, Obama navigated the impossible demand of being simultaneously "classy" and "cool" by leaning into being an unashamed dork[1].

The format proved extremely flexible. People applied it to fictional characters, pets, everyday friends, and increasingly absurd pairings where the two photos barely contrasted at all, flipping the original premise for laughs.

## How to Use
The template is one of the simplest in meme history:
1. Pick a person (celebrity, friend, fictional character, pet, yourself)
2. Find or take two contrasting photos of them: one formal/polished, one casual/messy/street
3. Place them side by side
4. Add the caption "Get you a man who can do both" (or a variation like "Get you a girl who can do both," "Get you a [noun] that can do both")

## Cultural Impact
The meme's cultural weight went beyond laughs. NY Mag's analysis highlighted how the format exposed assumptions about race, class, and presentation, particularly for Black men[1]. The idea that "swag is for boys, class is for men" had been floating around meme culture for years, and the Drake tweet crystallized how artificial that binary was[1]. By applying the format to white celebrities like Bill Nye and James Corden, who face no cultural pressure to perform "swag," the parodies made the double standard visible[1].

The phrase "do both" briefly entered casual vocabulary as shorthand for versatility or code-switching. Brands and social media accounts adopted the format for product marketing, showing items in different contexts.

## Fun Facts
- The original tweet dropped on Valentine's Day 2016, making the "get you a man" phrasing feel like relationship advice, which added to its shareability[2].
- NY Mag joked that James Corden "is automatically considered classy by American audiences due to his accent" and "may be disallowed from possessing [swag] by the U.S. Constitution"[1].
- The meme tapped into a pre-existing internet debate: the "Swag is for boys, class is for men" image had been circulating online well before the Drake tweet gave it a punchline[1].
- Drake's ability to "do both" was central to his brand, making him the perfect launch pad for the format: "he's black and Jewish; he reps Toronto, but also Houston and Atlanta; he raps, but also sings"[1].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is "Get You a Man Who Can Do Both"?
It's a meme format where two contrasting photos of the same person (one formal, one casual) are paired with the caption "Get you a man who can do both," suggesting the person is impressively versatile[2].

### Where did "Get You a Man Who Can Do Both" come from?
Twitter user @MikeShotya_ posted the original on February 14, 2016, using side-by-side photos of Drake in a suit and in warm-up clothes[2].

### What does "Get You a Man Who Can Do Both" mean?
The phrase suggests you should find a partner (or admire someone) who can switch between looking polished and casual with equal ease. The parodies often flip this into absurd humor by applying it to people who obviously can't "do both"[1].

### How do you use the "Get You a Man Who Can Do Both" meme?
Find two contrasting photos of someone, place them side by side, and add the caption. The bigger the contrast (or the more ridiculous the lack of contrast), the funnier it lands[2].

### Is "Get You a Man Who Can Do Both" still popular?
The format peaked in early-to-mid 2016 but the template still gets used sporadically. It's a recognizable classic that people pull out whenever a good two-photo contrast presents itself[1].

### Why was Drake the original subject?
Drake's public image was built on navigating between polished and street, between rapper and singer, making him the ideal subject for a meme about versatility[1].

### What was the "class vs. swag" debate?
Before the meme, phrases like "Swag is for boys, class is for men" circulated online, setting up a binary between casual coolness and formal respectability, especially aimed at Black men. The Drake meme both played into and mocked this divide[1].

### Who were the most popular parody subjects?
Early viral parodies featured James Corden, Guy Fieri, Jeb Bush, Barack Obama, and Bill Nye, each chosen because they made the class/swag binary look absurd in different ways[1].

### Did the meme have a gender-flipped version?
Yes. "Get you a girl who can do both" became a common variant, applying the same two-photo format to women[2].

### Why did NY Mag call it an "excellent meme"?
The publication argued it worked on two levels: it revealed cultural expectations about how celebrities (particularly Black men) are supposed to present themselves, and it was also genuinely funny in its parody form[1].

## References
1. [Drake Has Become a Very Good New Meme: ‘A Man Who Can Do Both’](<https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/02/very-good-new-meme-a-man-who-can-do-both.html>)
2. [Get You a Man Who Can Do Both - Know Your Meme](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/get-you-a-man-who-can-do-both>)
3. [6-7 meme](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6-7_meme>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/man-who-can-do-both
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