The #ThanksMichelleObama meme emerged as a sarcastic social media trend, primarily gaining traction around 2014 among American students. It was used to express dissatisfaction with the nutritional changes to school meals mandated by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, an initiative championed by the First Lady. Users would post photos of unappetizing or meager school lunches and tag them with the hashtag to ironically 'thank' her for the dietary reforms. Over time, it evolved from a specific critique of cafeteria food into a broader comedic trope used for any minor inconvenience, mirroring the viral 'Thanks Obama' trend that preceded it.