# Why Not Both?

Why Not Both?, also known as Why Don't We Have Both?, is a reaction image and catchphrase pulled from an Old El Paso taco commercial where a young girl shrugs off an either-or argument with a simple compromise. The line jumped from TV ad to image macro in 2011 and became the internet's shorthand for refusing to pick between two options.

## Origin
The line comes from an Old El Paso at-home taco kit commercial that packaged both hard shells and soft tortillas in a single box. In the ad, a group of Spanish-speaking adults argue over which type of taco is better until a young girl ends the debate with a shrug and the question 'Why not both?'[5]. The commercial aired on Australian TV at least as early as 2006[5], and online complaints about the spot showed up on CommercialsIHate.com in September 2009[3].

The clip was turned into a meme format in mid-2011. On June 30th, 2011, a FunnyJunk user posted one of the earliest known image macros using the shrug still, pairing it with a screencap from the Nickelodeon show Yo Gabba Gabba[1]. A second early macro surfaced on the Cheezburger-run Comixed site on July 21st, 2011, built around a joke about choosing between Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black[3].

- **Platform:** TV commercial (source); FunnyJunk / Reddit (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Unknown
- **Date:** 2011

## Overview
Why Not Both?, also written as Why Don't We Have Both?, is a reaction image built around a still of a young girl shrugging in an Old El Paso taco commercial[3]. The joke relies on reframing any binary choice, hard tacos or soft, two band members, two fandoms, as a false dilemma that can be solved by taking both options at once[1].

The format usually appears as a multi-pane image macro: two competing choices stacked on top, followed by the shrugging girl at the bottom with the caption 'Why not both?' or a close variant[2]. Users also deploy the still as a standalone reaction image when a thread turns into an either-or argument, and the phrase itself travels without the picture as a plain text comeback[4].

## How to Use
The format typically opens with two options presented as a forced choice, visual or textual, and resolves with the shrugging girl captioned 'Why not both?' or 'Why don't we have both?'. A common convention is to use it in reply threads when someone frames a debate as either-or, letting the image act as a one-panel punchline. The phrase often travels without the picture at all and works as a plain-text comeback.

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Why Not Both??
It is a reaction image and catchphrase used to answer any either-or question by refusing to pick, built from a still of a young girl shrugging in an Old El Paso taco commercial[3].

### Where did Why Not Both? come from?
The line is from an Old El Paso at-home taco kit ad in which a girl ends a hard-vs-soft taco argument with 'Why not both?'; the commercial aired on Australian TV as early as 2006[5].

### What does Why Not Both? mean?
It frames an argument as a false choice and suggests taking both options at once, usually as a comedic dismissal of the original debate[1].

### How do you use Why Not Both??
The common format is a stacked image macro with two competing choices on top and the shrugging girl captioned 'Why not both?' at the bottom, or the phrase alone as a text reply[3].

### Is Why Not Both? still popular?
It is a classic reaction image that moved from FunnyJunk and Reddit in 2011 to meme-generator sites like Quickmeme and Meme Generator through 2012 and 2013[3].

## References
1. [https://funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/2294640/Why/](<https://funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/2294640/Why/>)
2. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Drugs/comments/jgycc/why_cant_we_have_both/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/Drugs/comments/jgycc/why_cant_we_have_both/>)
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/why-not-both-why-dont-we-have-both](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/why-not-both-why-dont-we-have-both>)
4. [https://www.memecenter.com/fun/250216/why-not-both](<https://www.memecenter.com/fun/250216/why-not-both>)
5. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vNvlh63Wkg](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vNvlh63Wkg>)
6. [https://www.reddit.com/r/trees/comments/rhzyv/tacos_and_trees_why_not_both/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/trees/comments/rhzyv/tacos_and_trees_why_not_both/>)
7. [https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/zamof/why_not_both/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/zamof/why_not_both/>)
8. [https://themetapicture.com/why-not-both/](<https://themetapicture.com/why-not-both/>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/why-not-both-why-dont-we-have-both
Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library