The meme originates from photos taken in June 2018 at a protest outside a migrant detention facility in Tornillo, Texas. Images of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) leaning against a chain-link fence looking emotional went viral after she shared them on Twitter in 2019. While intended to highlight border conditions, the internet quickly repurposed the images for various contexts. It is now widely used as a 'label meme' where the fence represents something trivial, or as a critique of political performance. Whether used for lighthearted jokes about daily struggles or sharp political commentary, the template remains a staple of internet culture for its dramatic visual impact.