The 'Dear Boys, Dress Like This' meme originally started as a sincere fashion trend on platforms like Twitter and Pinterest, where users would share photos of aesthetically pleasing menswear. However, it quickly transformed into a parodic format where the 'ideal outfit' is replaced with something absurd, such as a suit of armor, a Shrek costume, or even a non-human entity. The meme relies on the juxtaposition of the demanding, high-fashion caption with increasingly ridiculous visual examples. It is frequently used to mock traditional gender expectations or to celebrate niche internet subcultures and characters in a humorous, ironic way.