The Italian AOC meme features a captured moment of U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez making a distinctive hand gesture that closely resembles the traditional Italian 'hand purse' or 'ma che vuoi' sign. This image gained viral traction on social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit as users began photoshopping her into Italian settings or captioning her with stereotypical Italian phrases. It is primarily used to express mock outrage, passionate disagreement, or simply to add a comedic, cultural twist to political discourse. The meme's popularity stems from the universal recognizability of the gesture combined with AOC's highly expressive public persona, making it a versatile tool for both political satire and lighthearted internet humor.