Previously known as ugly, creepy, light-addicted butterflies, the internet has all of a sudden decided it loves moths. The reason is simple: moths love lamps the way humans want to be loved, and everybody needs some love right now.Moth memes work like this: there’s a moth—usually the very big one in this picture Redditor No_Reason27 posted to r/creepy in July—and there’s a lamp. Either the moth doesn’t have the lamp and it’s sad, or the moth has the lamp and expresses its infinite joy of being satisfied by a singular simple pleasure. They're emotionally the opposite of "Evil Patrick Star."
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In August, @jonwadec tweeted what he claims is “the og moth meme,” which has racked up over 230k likes.
Moth memes spread on Reddit, Instagram, Twitter, and there are hilariously confusing moth interest Facebook pages full of people who spend their free time thinking about these fuzzy lepidopterans. They often take a format similar to “Brother may I have some oats” or “Cats wanting fruit loops,” but in the last day or two they’ve gotten w e i r d.
The moth meme is love. The moth meme imagined the possibility of a simple solution to all our anxieties. The moth meme is kind of scary because that lamp represents everything we long for or crave—stable relationships, financial security, companionship, good art, sex, and meaningful connections. The moth is you, the lamp is what you love. It’s fun because it’s a reminder of everything that makes us happy. But it’s also sad, because we’ll never be as happy as a moth that's found its lamp.Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.Follow Beckett Mufson on Twitter and Instagram .