AboutWhat does the meme depict?

The 'Atlas Holding The Earth' meme features images of Atlas, the titan from Ancient Greek mythology, burdened with holding up the Earth. These images portray Atlas as a very muscular figure, straining to hold up a massive globe representing the planet Earth. This meme template is commonly used for object labeling and image macros to symbolize one object or concept that is doing the bulk of work or support for another.

OriginWho did it first?

The iconic image used in the 'Atlas Holding The Earth' meme was created by artist Boris Vallejo. His artwork, entitled 'Atlas', was made in 1991 as part of a trading card series, which can be viewed on his official website here. This muscular depiction of Atlas holding the Earth has since become a popular template for memes. The first recognized use of this image in a meme context occurred on November 6th, 2009. It was posted on blogtownhall by a user named Kasper, who edited the image to include the face of Barack Obama, with the Earth labeled with the Obamacare symbol. The background featured the communism hammer and sickle, suggesting a political commentary associating Obama with carrying the burden of Obamacare in relation to communism.^[1]

Origin: 2009