The Sad Hamster meme, often paired with the melancholic 'Woe Is Me' violin track, features a small hamster with exaggeratedly large, watery eyes. The image captures a sense of overwhelming cuteness and vulnerability, which the internet quickly adopted to represent feeling small, helpless, or jokingly pathetic in the face of minor life struggles. Gaining massive popularity on TikTok and X in early 2024, it has become the definitive reaction for dramatic self-pity and relatable, tiny heartbreaks.