The First Crush meme is a nostalgic staple of internet culture, used to highlight the often questionable or surprisingly consistent romantic tastes people had as children. Usually featuring a side-by-side comparison or a single iconic image from a retro TV show or movie, the meme taps into a collective sense of childhood innocence and fandom. It gained traction on platforms like Tumblr and Twitter, where users would share images of their 'awakening' characters—ranging from animated foxes to teenage heartthrobs—sparking viral threads of shared generational experiences and relatable awkwardness.