Hipster Mermaid, also known as Hipster Ariel, first surfaced in early 2011 as a photoshopped image of the Disney princess wearing thick-rimmed hipster glasses. The meme quickly went viral on Tumblr and Reddit, parodying the 'I liked it before it was cool' elitist attitude associated with hipster subculture. By combining Ariel’s longing for the human world with ironic, pretentious captions, the template became the ultimate way to mock people who claim early adoption of obscure trends. Whether she’s talking about 'underground' currents or liking the ocean before it was mainstream, Hipster Ariel remains a staple of internet culture for anyone wanting to poke fun at social posturing and ironic superiority.