What is Rethink, Reskill, Reboot?

It is a parody image macro based on a UK Government CyberFirst retraining advert, with the original slogan reused over edited photos of politicians, celebrities and mascots.

Where did Rethink, Reskill, Reboot come from?

The phrase was the slogan of the UK Government's CyberFirst campaign, which launched in 2019 and pushed workers toward cybersecurity jobs.

What does Rethink, Reskill, Reboot mean?

In the original ad the three words urged workers to retrain for cyber careers; in the meme they turned into a mocking caption aimed at the tone-deaf advice given during the pandemic.

How do you use Rethink, Reskill, Reboot?

A typical edit keeps the layout of the ballet dancer poster, replaces the subject with a politician or public figure, and keeps the "next job could be in cyber" line above the slogan.

Is Rethink, Reskill, Reboot still popular?

No, activity faded after the UK Government withdrew the campaign in October 2020 and the Fatima news cycle ended.

Rethink, Reskill, Reboot

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Published October 21, 2026

Rethink, Reskill, Reboot is a parody image macro based on a 2019 UK Government CyberFirst advert that told workers their next job could be in cyber1. After a poster featuring a ballet dancer named Fatima recirculated on October 12th, 2020, Twitter users turned the slogan into a template for mocking politicians, celebrities and sports mascots2.

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Overview

Each parody poster keeps the layout of the original CyberFirst ad: a photograph of a person doing a non-tech job, the line "[Name]'s next job could be in cyber (he/she just doesn't know it yet)," and the slogan "Rethink, Reskill, Reboot" sitting near the bottom3. The joke works by picking a public figure whose current job is already secure or absurdly ill-suited to a cybersecurity career, then insisting they should give it up for IT work.

Most early edits poked at UK politicians during the pandemic, with Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings, Nigel Farage and Chancellor Rishi Sunak all getting the treatment4. Comedians and musicians joined in with self-portrait versions, while football fans used it on club mascots. The humor sits somewhere between protest poster and absurdist caption, and it rarely requires more than a face swap and the original slogan to land.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

UK Government advertising (origin) / Twitter (viral spread)

Date

2020

The original advert came from the UK Government's CyberFirst campaign, launched in 2019 to steer workers toward cybersecurity jobs1. The campaign used a series of posters showing people from different professions above the tagline "Rethink, Reskill, Reboot." In October 2020, one poster featuring a ballet dancer identified only as "Fatima" began circulating online, and critics called it tone-deaf given how badly the arts sector had been hit by the coronavirus pandemic4.

Musician Fatboy Slim posted the Fatima ad to Twitter on October 12th, 2020, where it collected over 1,800 likes and 420 retweets within 32 hours5. That same day, Twitter user lucy_mccourt published a redesigned version captioned "I fixed it," which reached over 63,000 likes and 16,200 retweets inside 33 hours2. The Government later withdrew the campaign amid the backlash1.

How It Spread

After #Fatima began trending, the parody format spread fast across Twitter on October 12th, 2020. User SalAhmad posted a version featuring the Arsenal mascot Gunnersaurus, drawing over 18,900 likes and 2,700 retweets in about 32 hours3. Arsenal fans on the r/Gunners subreddit reposted it the same day, where it collected over 200 upvotes6.

Comedian Russell Kane uploaded a parody of himself to Facebook that evening, picking up over 8,900 likes, 806 shares and 414 comments in 27 hours7. On Instagram, user dj_fattony_ shared a version featuring Rishi Sunak that gathered more than 12,600 likes in 24 hours8. Edits of Donald Trump, Dominic Cummings and Nigel Farage circulated alongside the UK-focused posts4.

Trade press covered the backlash as the Government pulled the ads, and the campaign was treated as a case study in bad pandemic messaging1. Activity around the format tapered off within weeks once the ad was withdrawn and the Fatima news cycle ended.

Timeline

2019

The UK Government's CyberFirst campaign launches, featuring the slogan "Rethink, Reskill, Reboot" across a series of profession-themed posters.

2020-10-12

The Fatima ballet dancer poster recirculates online, #Fatima trends on Twitter and Fatboy Slim shares the ad to his followers.

2020-10-12

Twitter user lucy_mccourt posts a redesigned "I fixed it" version that gathers over 63,000 likes and 16,200 retweets.

2020-10-12

SalAhmad's Arsenal mascot parody and Russell Kane's self-portrait edit go viral on Twitter and Facebook.

2020-10-12

Instagram user dj_fattony_ posts a Rishi Sunak parody that collects over 12,600 likes in 24 hours.

2020-10