Laugh Away The Apocalypse With Coronavirus Memes: Part 4

A weekly series on memes, meme creators—and making jokes about the end times.

In the late ’90s, MTV had a smash hit on its hands with Daria, a 20-minute animated sitcom about its brainy, curmudgeonly teenage namesake. It ran for five seasons, and produced more than 60 episodes, all of which Samantha Rothenberg has seen multiple times.

Daria’s vibe was “very angsty teen,” says Rothenberg. “I feel like that influence comes out in my work.” Rothenberg is the founder of @violetclair, an Instagram meme account that has a lot to say about dating, body image and relationships. Its vibe might be best described as angsty adult. “I think of that anger that Daria had carried with me,” says Rothenberg, 33, a Brooklyn-based illustrator. “I love drawing. I also I like comedy writing. Instagram has proven itself to be a perfect medium.”

“A lot of people have gotten into the habit of sending me dating-related questions and screenshots” of conversations with people they’re dating—or have dated. “And one thing that I kept hearing over and over again recently was stories about exes getting in touch. During all of this, it seems to be a really common thing. And I think for a lot of people it wouldn’t be healthy for them to start communicating with their exes again.”

“You get all these tips about the best ways to go about living your day and feel like a human during all of this. One thing I kept hearing over and over again: When you wake up, don’t wear your pajamas. Get dressed for the day: Put on your tights, put on jewelry. This comic is talking about how I attempted to do that, and I did not feel any difference.”

Rothenberg has an admission. “I did not stockpile toilet paper. I did eventually find figure out that the place to find toilet paper is at the small bodega is on the corner.”

“This is another one going back to people hearing from toxic people—specifically, from past exes. A lot of people are feeling lonely and reaching out. And basically the message is that if someone from your past reaches out, don’t look for too much meaning. Everyone is pretty bored right now.”

“I’ve also heard from a lot of people saying, ‘My ex actually never reached out, and I really wish that he would.’ It’s common. So this is for the people who haven’t heard from someone in their past. But honestly, it’s for the best.”