# Scumbag Steve
> Scumbag Steve is a 2011 image-macro meme featuring Blake Boston in a sideways Red Sox cap, gold chain, and puffy fur-collared coat, with captions depicting inconsiderate social behavior.
Scumbag Steve is an image macro meme from January 2011 featuring a photo of Blake Boston standing in a doorway wearing a sideways Red Sox cap, gold chain, and puffy winter coat with a fake fur collar. The photo was taken by his mother Susan in 2006 when Blake was 16, then plucked from his MySpace page years later and turned into one of the biggest Advice Animals of the early 2010s[5]. Text on the image describes selfish, inconsiderate, or obnoxious social behavior, making Scumbag Steve the universal stand-in for that one terrible roommate, party guest, or friend everyone knows.
## Origin
The original photo was taken in 2006 at the Boston family home in Medfield, Massachusetts[5]. Blake Boston was 16. His mother Susan, who was taking a photography class at the time, snapped the shot in a hallway[9]. Blake was pleased with the result. "I sure as shit thought I was a balla," he later recalled[5]. He had his friends hype up the photos to encourage Susan, and she posted the image to his MySpace page[9]. The photo also wound up on the cover of "Ma Gangsta," an album by Blake's rap group Beantown Mafia[4].
Five years passed before the internet found it. On January 21, 2011, a Reddit user posted a compilation of image macros using Blake's photo under the title "I hated this dude"[4]. The post hit the front page and pulled in over 8,600 upvotes before archiving. A commenter identified the young man as Blake Boston (also known as "Weezy B"), and another commenter coined the name "Scumbag Steve," which got over 300 upvotes and stuck[1].
Blake had no frame of reference for what was happening. "Who the fuck knew what a meme was? I had never even heard the word," he said[5].
- **Platform:** Reddit/4chan
- **Creator:** Susan Boston (photographer), Blake Boston (subject), Anonymous Reddit user (meme creator)
- **Date:** 2011-01-01
## Overview
The Scumbag Steve format uses a photo of a flush-faced young man looking slightly dazed in a hallway doorway, dressed in a brown fur-collared coat and a distinctive backwards flat-brim Red Sox hat. Impact font text runs across the top and bottom of the image. The top line sets up a social scenario, and the bottom line delivers the punchline: some selfish or inconsiderate act[6].
Classic examples include "Borrows your car / Gets it impounded" and "Shows up to your party / Drinks all your beer"[6]. The character became shorthand for low-grade social violations. He's the roommate who eats your food, the friend who borrows your lighter and never gives it back, the guy who crashes at your place for a week uninvited[1]. Scumbag Steve tapped into universal frustration with everyday bad behavior and gave people a funny way to vent about it.
## How It Spread
Things moved fast. The scumbagsteve.com domain was registered on January 27, 2011[4]. BuzzFeed ran a "Best of Scumbag Steve" compilation on February 2nd[10]. By February 11th, the Daily Mail was covering the story, revealing that Blake's mom had taken the original photo and that people had been calling his phone and harassing his family at all hours of the night[9].
The meme exploded across Reddit's r/AdviceAnimals and r/trees subreddits. The r/trees community cranked out image macros about smoking etiquette and bad stoner behavior, which Blake later said he actually appreciated[4]. Derivatives popped up fast: "Siberian Steve" and "Scumbag Stefano" (a Renaissance-themed variant) were among the early spinoffs[1]. Users also started editing the signature hat onto photos of public figures, including Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak after he shut down the country's internet[5].
By April 2012, a Quickmeme page had 73,815 submissions and a Meme Generator page had 153,149 submissions[4]. Scumbag Steve also spread across Tumblr, Memebase, and Funny Junk[4]. At its peak, the meme had over 4 million Google search results[7].
## How to Use
Scumbag Steve follows the classic Advice Animals template:
1. Start with the original photo of Blake Boston in the hallway doorway.
2. Add a setup line at the top describing a social situation (e.g., "Asks to crash at your place for one night").
3. Add a punchline at the bottom revealing the scumbag move (e.g., "Stays for two weeks, eats all your food").
4. The humor typically comes from the gap between normal social expectations and Steve's selfish, oblivious behavior.
## Cultural Impact
Scumbag Steve was one of the most covered Advice Animals of the early 2010s, with articles in the Daily Mail[9], Slate[7], Mashable[3], BuzzFeed[10], and the Daily Dot[2]. Pepsi used the Scumbag Steve concept in advertising, though without Blake Boston's actual involvement or likeness[3].
Blake's attempt to pivot into a rap career off meme fame drew coverage from The Mary Sue[11] and Strange Music[12], making him one of the first "meme celebrities" to try turning internet notoriety into a music career. His arc from angry victim to reluctant embracer to self-aware meme veteran set a pattern that future unwilling meme subjects would follow.
The meme also raised early questions about consent and the ethics of turning a random person's photo into an internet punching bag. WBUR's "Endless Thread" episode in 2021 was one of the first in-depth explorations of the long-term psychological toll of becoming a meme against your will, revealing that Blake dealt with anxiety attacks and PTSD partly triggered by his meme fame[8].
In 2016, Blake told BuzzFeed News he considered himself qualified to spot scumbags, taking a public jab at Donald Trump: "Being considered the quintessential internet scumbag, known worldwide... I can, without any hesitation, say that Trump is one of the biggest scumbags around"[5].
## Fun Facts
- Blake's mother Susan bought the now-iconic hat at Marshalls, likely because it was discounted due to low demand. It was a light brown A-Tooth-style Red Sox fitted by New Era, and fewer than 1,000 of that style were ever made[5].
- Blake turned down offers of tens of thousands of dollars for the original hat[5].
- Blake and his mom Susan had a Mother's Day tradition of driving around Norfolk County stealing lilacs from people's yards to make a giant bouquet. "Floor it!" Susan would yell when someone gave chase[8].
- Blake was a self-described Juggalo before becoming a meme and a big Tech N9ne fan[12].
- In his open letter to "Annoying Facebook Girl," Blake showed self-aware humor, calling himself "an actual advice meme" and signing off: "I'm here if you need me. I'm sorry you're hurting"[13].
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Scumbag Steve?
Scumbag Steve is an image macro meme featuring a photo of Blake Boston in a doorway wearing a sideways Red Sox cap and puffy winter coat. Text on the image describes selfish or inconsiderate behavior, making Steve the universal stand-in for people who do annoying social things[6].
### Where did Scumbag Steve come from?
The photo was taken by Blake's mother Susan in 2006 at their home in Medfield, Massachusetts[9]. It was posted on Reddit on January 21, 2011, and quickly became one of the biggest Advice Animals[4].
### What does Scumbag Steve mean?
The meme is used to describe or mock the kind of person who does rude, selfish, or socially oblivious things. Think: the friend who eats your food, borrows your stuff and never returns it, or shows up uninvited and overstays[1].
### How do you use Scumbag Steve?
Place a setup line at the top of the image describing a normal social situation, then add a punchline at the bottom revealing the inconsiderate thing "Steve" does. The humor works best when the behavior is relatable but infuriating[6].
### Is Scumbag Steve still popular?
No. Scumbag Steve peaked between 2011 and 2013 and is no longer in regular use. It occasionally shows up in throwback or ironic contexts, but the Advice Animals format it belongs to fell out of favor in the mid-2010s[7].
### Who is the real Scumbag Steve?
The person in the photo is Blake Boston, from the Greater Boston area. The photo was taken by his mother Susan when Blake was 16 years old[5]. He was not actually named Steve.
### Did Blake Boston embrace the meme?
Not at first. Blake initially reacted with anger and profane rants, trying to get websites to take the images down[5]. Over time, he warmed up to it and eventually launched a rap career under the name "Blake Boston AKA Scumbag Steve"[3].
### Was Blake Boston really a scumbag?
Blake admitted in 2012 that his real-life habits overlapped with the character. Like the fictional Steve, he borrowed lighters without returning them, smoked menthols, drank Mountain Dew, lived with his parents, and aspired to be a rapper[5].
### What is the Scumbag Steve hat?
It was a light brown A-Tooth-style Red Sox fitted cap by New Era. Fewer than 1,000 of that style were produced, and Blake's mother likely bought it at a discount from Marshalls[5]. Blake turned down offers of tens of thousands of dollars for it[5].
### Did Scumbag Steve perform at ROFLcon?
Yes. In 2012, Blake attended both SXSW and ROFLcon, where he performed his "Scumbag Steve Overture" rap alongside meme celebrities Chuck Testa and Antoine Dodson[5].
### What was the psychological impact on Blake Boston?
WBUR's "Endless Thread" podcast revealed in 2021 that the meme had been used against Blake in a custody battle, complicated his relationship with his birth mother, caused family fights, and triggered anxiety attacks and PTSD[8].
### What is Scumbag Thursdays?
Scumbag Thursdays was a weekly series where Blake released a new rap single on iTunes, incorporating fan-submitted Scumbag Steve captions into the lyrics[3]. The songs were available for free download on his website each Thursday[3].
### Did any brands use Scumbag Steve?
Yes. Pepsi used the Scumbag Steve concept in advertising, though without Blake Boston's actual involvement or likeness[3].
### What is the counterpart to Scumbag Steve?
Good Guy Greg is often described as the positive counterpart, featuring a different photo with captions about considerate or generous behavior[6].
### Did Blake Boston write to other meme subjects?
Yes. In late 2011, Blake wrote an open letter to "Annoying Facebook Girl," advising her not to take the internet personally and sharing his own experience of becoming a meme against his will[13].
## References
1. [Scumbag Steve Told Me to F*** Off - Rapper Blake Boston Hates and Loves and Hates Becoming a Meme - Urlesque]()
2. [Scumbag Steve speaks: "Everybody does pull scumbag moves"]()
3. [Scumbag Steve: How the Internet Meme Became a Rapper | Mashable]()
4. [Scumbag Steve - Know Your Meme]()
5. [Scumbag Steve]()
6. [Scumbag Steve - Urban Dictionary]()
7. [Scumbag Steve, aka Blake Boston, Releases Rap Video Capitalizing on His Viral Fame.]()
8. [MEMES, Part 2: Scumbag Steve | Endless Thread]()
9. ['Scumbag Steve' Blake Boston speaks out. Internet hate figure reveals famous picture was taken by his mother | Daily Mail Online]()
10. [The Best of Scumbag Steve]()
11. [Memebase - Scumbag Steve - All Your Memes In Our Base - Funny Memes - Cheezburger]()
12. [Scumbag Steve Puts Out A Rap Ode To Himself [Video] | The Mary Sue]()
13. [Scumbag Steve: How the Internet Meme Became a Rapper | Mashable]()
14. [From Scumbag To Superstar – Scumbag Steve Talks Tech N9ne, Hip Hop, And More [Strange Music Exclusive]]()
15. [Scumbag Steve’s Advice for Annoying Facebook Girl | Slacktory | This seems legit.]()
16. [Scumbag Steve speaks: "Everybody does pull scumbag moves"]()
---
Source: https://meme.com/memes/scumbag-steve
Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library