The Selfie 2 Waifu meme emerged from a surge in AI-powered image processing tools, specifically a website developed by Creasaur that used a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) to stylize portraits into anime aesthetics. As users shared their results across social media, the trend evolved into a meme where people compared their actual appearance to the often exaggeratedly cute or occasionally glitchy anime output. It became a staple of 'expectation vs. reality' humor, highlighting the quirky ways AI interprets human features. Today, it remains a popular way to poke fun at internet personas and the ongoing obsession with anime-inspired digital identities.