On the surface, internet memes seem like they're all fun and games, but when somebody's badly timed photograph gets blasted over social media, the impact can inadvertently ruin job interviews for the next decade. The internet is a brutal place, and no bit of silliness ever goes unpunished. It's no wonder that undergoing the radical transformation from a regular person into a digital meme has destroyed many lives. The results of internet fame aren't always so terrible, though...
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In the current state of the world, sometimes it's hard to imagine that miracles can actually happen. But, on occasion, there are those stories that will catch the public imagination, because they almost force everyone to remember that sometimes, good things can happen. Dreams can come true; miracles really do happen. In reality though, his story wasn't exactly smooth sailing.
Vince Offer made his name with catchy sayings like "Are ya followin' me, camera guy?" (on YouTube) as a pitchman for the Slap Chop, a vegetable chopper, and ShamWow, an extremely absorbent cleaning cloth that's something like a towel, sponge, and chamois all in one, according to the ShamWow website. Those advertisements went viral online and gained buzz at infomercial conventions. Most importantly, though, they sold millions of units, according to Offer, who also owns the company (via NBC News). On the strength of his all-in performance selling ShamWow, Offer — who started out as a comedian and actor — came to be known as the ShamWow Guy. After the success of those ShamWow commercials, rapper Eminem even tapped the in-demand pitchman to help hype his 2010 album "Recovery," according to Adweek.
Human meme Rebecca Black became the target of a wave of online abuse in 2011 for her widely mocked song "Friday" — a catchy celebration of the best day of the week. Black was given short shrift for the grating autotune as well as the lyrics, which include memorable classics such as: "Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal (Cereal)" and "Tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes afterwards."
In 2010, handsome actor and former athlete Isaiah Mustafa debuted in the Old Spice deodorant ad "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like," and if there was ever a time for smell-o-vision, this would have been it. In the commercial, Mustafa not only looked like he smelled good, his deep baritone voice sounded like he smelled good, too. From there, he became known as the Old Spice guy, appearing — often shirtless — in a series of commercials for the brand. Since then, Mustafa has reprised the "Old Spice Guy" role on several occasions while maintaining a successful acting career beyond advertising.
There was a time not so long ago when internet users could open an email with scores of "FWD"s in the subject line and see, to their amazement, pictures of a child who could effortlessly crush them to death with his hands. That child was known as "Little Hercules," and inexplicably, he was not some superhero comic creation brought to life by a lonely little boy's very special birthday wish. Instead, he was Richard Sandrak, a rippling pile of physical excellence whose "Atlas Man" physique gained him international fame in the mid-2000s.
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