A meme is born as 'Melinda' and 'Yeah, I get it... Need pa bang picturan?' trend on social media
"Yeah, I get it. Gagraduate ang anak, but the point is need pa bang picturan?"
Your social media feed has been more or less replete with the line suggesting misgivings about taking photos during one's graduation. In fact, several of its variations have already been all over the digital space. The name "Melinda" must have also popped up many times during your casual scrolling.
It all started when Vice President Leni Robredo shared on Facebook a photo of her daughter Jillian wearing a purple gown, as well as "what matters most - a pendant containing her Papa’s ashes, her graduation stole with the colors of the Philippine flag and her Rosas pin." Jillian just had her baccalaureate at the prestigious New York Univesity (NYU).
A certain Melinda Barlis then, wrote the now-popular comment on the VP's post: "Yeah, I get it. Gragraduate ang anak, but the point is need pa bang picturan?"
Barlis's comment has since been deleted, and the account appears to have been deactivated.
But, as they say, everything in social media stays forever, with many netizens taking screenshots of the comment. That's also when they put their own spin on it, repurposing the supposed critical comment into a copypasta.
Visual artist Kevin Raymundo or Tarantadong Kalbo made an artwork about a cat using the line.
"Yeah, I get it. Nakyutan ka, but the point is need pa ba picturan?" the artwork's text read.
Pizza Hut also joined the bandwagon and used the line to promote its product.
"Yeah , I get it. You bought pizza , but the point is need pa bang picturan ?" Pizza Hut said in a post. "Yes! It's okay to flex anything or anyone you're proud of."
Model and vlogger LA Aguinaldo shared photos of him in a plain white shirt, pants, and leather shoes. "but the point is, need pa bang picturan?"
Facebook page "Swifters," a fan page of Taylor Swift who just received her honorary doctorate at NYU, also used the expression using a photo of the singer-songwriter's father taking a photo of her before the graduation rites.
In the public Facebook group "Main Pop Girls Stanposting," a user also posed a cheeky question based on the now-popular line.
"Yeah, i get it. May mga jowa nga kayo, but the point is need pa bang picturan???" the post read, which had over 14,000 reactions (mostly "Haha" reactions), 450 comments, and 7,400 shares.
Palanca award-winning writer Jade Mark Capiñanes also has his entry. "yeah, i get it. naghiwalay kayo. but the point is need pa bang gawan ng tula?," Capiñanes said, in an apparent reference to the stereotype of writers having the tendency to dedicate poems to their old flame.
Social media personalty M.A. Buendia, meanwhile, joked that "Marites" is out, as "Melinda" is already in. Marites is an informal nickname given to someone who regularly consumes and dishes out gossip.
Marites is out. Melinda is in.
— M.A. Buendía ☻ (@MABuendiaHD) May 18, 2022
Another Facebook user named Melinda Barlis, who shares the same name as the now-deactivated account that made the controversial comment, also spoke out after apparently receiving tons of messages from strangers.
In a now-deleted post, this Melinda Barlis clarified that she's not the "trending Melinda Barlis," noting that she's a retired teacher.
"Kasama po ako sa mga graduation pictures dati most of the time ng mga estudyante ko at parents. Mas maganda may grad pics para pagtanda my remembrance," she said.
"Melinda" has been a trending topic on Twitter. According to trends tracker trends24, there are over 13,000 tweets about the name to date.