The 'Putting on Clown Makeup' meme features a series of four panels showing a man gradually applying white face paint, a red nose, and a rainbow wig until the transformation is complete. The original footage comes from a 2015 YouTube makeup tutorial by performer Niklas Jensen. In early 2019, the images were repurposed into a meme format to illustrate the process of someone making a series of increasingly foolish arguments or falling deeper into self-delusion. It is widely used to mock sports fans, political supporters, or individuals in toxic relationships who continue to justify bad behavior, visually representing their descent into social or intellectual absurdity.