They Live Sunglasses | Know Your Meme

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About

They Live Sunglasses refer to a plot device in the 1988 science fiction action satire film They Live. In the film, wearing a pair of special sunglasses allow the wearer to see through advertisements and other elements of consumerism to see the evil extra-terrestrial race behind capitalism and human misery. Online, people use the sunglasses imagery to see what the memer believes is the “true” message of a particular piece of media (similar to Peter Parker’s Glasses).

Origin

On November 4th, 1988, They Live was released in the United States. In the film, the character Nada (portrayed by Roddy Piper) discovers a secret alien invasion in which a malevolent race of invaders use advertising to brainwash and control humanity. Nada uses a pair of sunglasses to see the alien message as well as aliens disguised as humans (clip below).

Spread

The sunglasses imagery has been apart of popular culture since the release of the film. For example, in the 1991 video The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants, Bart uses a pair of sunglasses to see aliens. Elements from the film, particularly the sign “Obey,” have appeared on t-shirts and inspired the clothing line “Obey” (shown below).


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Throughout the 2010s, the image continued to appear in memes. For example, on February 7th, 2013, Know Your Meme user tzeni mpotsi shared an image of Nada looking at My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic advertisement, which the glasses reveal reads “Never Marry and Reproduce” (shown below, left).

The They Live Sunglasses are generally accepted as an expression of “seeing one’s true self.” For example, on August 22nd, 2015, Twitter user @saladinahmed tweeted a manipulated image of a rally of U.S. President Donald Trump with the caption “What you see when you wear the glasses.” The tweet received more than 1,100 likes and 865 retweets in less than five years (shown below, center).

Two years later, on April 3rdm 2017, Redditor Duxik shared a four panel meme using the glasses on an advertisement for the film The Boss Baby (shown below, right).


NEVER MARRY AND REPRODUC My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic advertising Saladin Ahmed @saladinahmed What you see when you wear the glasses. Thank You, Lord ESUS, PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR 8:38 PM · Aug 22, 2015 · iOS BORN LEADER DRI Edgr Can On ESP THE OSS BABY NORMALIZE THE INFANTILE Eden CO SP CAR DRI BEHAVIOR OF YOUR CAPITALIST MANAGERS KINO John Carpenter They Live Eyewear Glasses Cool Head Sunglasses

The meme format has been used to critique many political views or brands. One popular example uses the meme was to criticize brands during LGBTQ+ Pride month. On June 5th, 2019, Redditor elbowleg513 shared a variation that reads a Pride-themed Mastercard banner as “Give Us Your Money, Homos.” The post received more than 67,000 points (93% upvoted) and 2,400 comments in less than 13 months.


GIVE US YOUR CAREDRI MasterCard MONEY, HOMOS DRIden CRON „ACCEPTANNCE *MATTERS MasterCard They Live Glasses Eyewear Advertising

Various Examples


Eden ORI CnOn ESP STAT RI Edgr BRAZZERS John Carpenter Roddy Piper They Live Eyewear Collage Glasses Art FACE MASK EXEMPT CARD Edur Cane On I AM EXEMPT FROM ANY ORDINANCE REQUIRING FACE DRI MASK USAGE IN PUBLIC. Wearing a face mask posses a mental and/or physical risk to me. Under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), I am not required to disclose my condition to you. Department of Justice ADA Violation reporting number: (800) 514-0301 ALES ESP If found in violation of the ADA you could face steep penalties Organizations and businesses can be fined up to $75,000 for your first violation and $150,000 for any subsequent violations DENYING ACCESS TO YOUR FTBA BUSINESS/ORGANIZATION WILL BE ALSO www.ftbagency.com REPORTED TO FTBA FOR FURTHER ACTIONS I am an entitled snowflake CARD I AM EXEMPT ERO M Please be careful-I probably mock people speaking out against actual oppression but will likely throw a tantrum if expected to tolerate a minor personal inconvenience during a national health crisis. Can't you see l'm the real victim? CAR DRI Edgr EVET ESP www.rEbagency.com REPORTED TO FTBA FOR FURTHER ACTIONS Glasses Glasses Eyewear EFASE DRI BLACK LIVES MATTER EFFASE CAR DRI NEVE PLEASE DON'T BURN DOWN OUR BANKS 貝 Eyewear Glasses Sunglasses Cool
SOCIAL DISTANCING COMMUNISM IDRI 1 have willed myself into thinking temporary Inconvenience is B oppression and a conspiracy to strip me of my rights because I have no idea what real CAL oppression is like. People Cool Eyewear Glasses Human Sunglasses Selfie FC COM DRI Can ESA AD D CAR DRI Edan ESP Eyewear Glasses Cool Head Sunglasses Goggles CAR DRI Cae DRI Eder Ca On ESP KIND Roddy Piper They Live Eyewear Facial expression Collage Art Glasses Cool

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They Live Eyewear Sunglasses Glasses Cool Vision care Chin

External References

Source: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/they-live-sunglasses

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