# What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen
What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen is an internet axiom about the mental residue of looking at a disturbing image. The phrase surfaced in a 2004 blog post by Joey deVilla about Goatse, then spread through shock-site forum threads before anchoring a wide-eyed cat demotivational poster that pushed it into standard forum shorthand.
## Origin
The exact wording 'cannot be unseen' shows up early in a quote by Canadian cartoonist David Sim, which was circulated as an inspirational line on quote sites[2]. Its first use tied to a traumatic online image belongs to Joey deVilla's December 15, 2004 personal blog post titled 'Some Images, Once Seen, Cannot Be Unseen,' written about Goatse[1]. That post is the earliest documented pairing of the phrase with shock content[4].
- **Platform:** Personal blog (Joey deVilla) / Forums (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Joey deVilla (earliest known use in shock-image context)
- **Date:** 2004
## Overview
The axiom works as a wry warning aimed at anyone who just clicked something they shouldn't have. Users typically pair the phrase with shock sites like Tubgirl and Goatse, or with 'when you see it' photos where a hidden detail ruins an otherwise ordinary image[1]. Its best-known visual form is a demotivational poster showing a wide-eyed cat with the line as caption, which pushed What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen into general forum vocabulary around 2007[4].
The tone sits between genuine lament and self-deprecating humor. Posters use it to warn others before linking NSFW content, to react to an image they wish they had scrolled past, or as a blog tag for anything visually off-putting[4]. Know Your Meme groups it with the related reaction phrase 'when you see it, you'll shat brix,' both aimed at the moment a viewer notices something they can't un-notice[4].
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen?
It's an internet axiom used as a reaction to shock sites and 'when you see it' images, meaning the mental image sticks in memory and can't be erased[4].
### Where did What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen come from?
The phrase's first use tied to a disturbing online image is Joey deVilla's December 15, 2004 blog post 'Some Images, Once Seen, Cannot Be Unseen,' written about Goatse[1].
### What does What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen mean?
It means that after you look at a shocking or unsettling image, the mental picture becomes a lasting memory that you can't delete, often said with regret or dark humor[4].
### How do you use What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen?
People typically post it as a reply to a shared shock image, as a warning before linking NSFW content, or as a tag or caption on image blogs collecting disturbing or hidden-detail pictures[8].
### Is What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen still popular?
It's a classic early-web catchphrase that moved from shock-site forums into mainstream listicle headlines like Buzzfeed's '21 Things That Cannot Be Unseen' in 2011[9].
## References
1. [http://www.joeydevilla.com/2004/12/15/some-images-once-seen-cannot-be-unseen/]()
2. [http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/d/davesim200360.html]()
3. [https://www.tribemagazine.com/board/tribe-main-forum/95101-whats-story-tubgirl-2.html#post2553767]()
4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/what-has-been-seen-cannot-be-unseen]()
5. [http://forum.ebaumsworld.com/archive/index.php/t-162889.html]()
6. [http://www.incrysis.com/forums/viewtopic.php?pid=186823]()
7. [https://www.neatorama.com/2007/09/27/brebner-on-usa-and-canada/#comment-236235]()
8. [http://cantbeunseen.com/]()
9. [https://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/21-things-that-cannot-be-unseen]()
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Source: https://meme.com/memes/what-has-been-seen-cannot-be-unseen
Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library