Culture

The “This Pride I’m Partnering With” Meme Pokes Fun At The Corporatisation Of Pride Month

"As a bisexual woman in a relationship with a man, I’m despised by the straight and LGBT+ communities alike. That’s why, this Pride, I’m partnering with James Corden."

by Reena Gupta  7 June 2022

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

It’s June 7th, but by all accounts people have already had enough of Pride month — or more accurately, its corporate exploitation.

You may have noticed a deluge of ‘This Pride I’m Partnering With…” memes are popping up on social media, with each one somehow being funnier than the next. But at the heart of the trend seems to be a fatigue with the way that a time originally about honouring The Stonewall Riots of 1969, have become exploited by corporations and influencers to the point where it feels manipulative.

This trend’s heyday was probably around 2018 and 2019, so here’s a heritage example for reference:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Daniel Preda (@misterpreda)

It’s fair to say that in recent years, influencers have become increasingly sneaky when it comes to leveraging the contemporary currency that is being ‘authentic’ and ‘relatable’. In 2019, we became so obsessed with relatability that The New York Times weighed in, dubbing it “a mealy concept that delights advertisers and publishers alike because it all but guarantees to garner attention” and a “psychological lubricant.”

Consequently, in the last few years seen a rise in influencers dropping what initially seems like revealing personal admissions before announcing they are partnering with a business or corporation, making some readers swiftly go from feeling seen to swindled.

Here are some of our favourite examples of the meme so far.