Why are women in stock photos always laughing hysterically at a bowl of lettuce? In this episode, we trace the strange journey of “Women Laughing Alone With Salad” from awkward ad cliché to internet meme legend. We’ll talk about how a single blog post turned into a cultural phenomenon, why advertisers thought forced joy over rabbit food was a good idea, and what this bizarre stock photo trope says about gender, consumerism, and humor. Plus: how AI is now resurrecting these memes for cheap content farms, turning satire into spam.

Our sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2014/mar/05/woman-laughing-alone-with-salad

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/women-laughing-alone-with-salad

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/woman-laughing-alone-with-salad-a-i-content-farm-2432767

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