The 'Pictures of People Before and After Calling Them Beautiful' meme is based on a viral 2013 video project by student Shea Glover, who captured the raw, vulnerable, and often joyous reactions of people when told they were beautiful. While the original project was a sincere exploration of human emotion and self-worth, internet culture quickly adopted the format for comedic subversion. In the meme world, the 'after' photo is frequently replaced with bizarre characters, monsters, or inanimate objects to create an ironic or absurd contrast. It has become a staple for highlighting the humor in unexpected flattery or mocking the 'glow-up' trope across social media platforms like Reddit and Twitter.