The 'Math Isn't Real' meme originated from a TikTok video posted by Gracie Cunningham in 2020, where she candidly questioned the historical origins of mathematical concepts like algebra and the Pythagorean theorem. Rather than a flat-out denial of math's utility, her video was a philosophical exploration of how humans 'discovered' or 'invented' complex systems to explain the natural world. The video quickly went viral, igniting a massive debate across the internet between professional mathematicians who defended her curiosity and critics who misunderstood her point. Today, the template is used to represent moments of profound confusion, existential dread, or the hilarious realization that many academic concepts are actually quite strange when scrutinized deeply.