The Meitu meme rose to global prominence in early 2017 when the Chinese photo-editing app of the same name introduced a 'hand-drawn' filter that dramatically transformed portraits into hyper-glamorized anime characters. Users quickly began applying the filter to unlikely subjects, ranging from world leaders and historical figures to gritty fictional characters like Batman or the Joker. The humor stems from the jarring contrast between the subject’s original persona and their new, sparkly, wide-eyed aesthetic. It serves as a commentary on the extremes of social media beautification while providing a lighthearted way to 'kawaii-fy' anything in sight.