In the location where the now-famous photo was shot, a monument honors the “four boys in jeans” who gained online celebrity when their picture became a meme.
Three years ago, Jamie Philips, Connor Humpage, Kevin Rooney, and Alex Lacey posed for an innocent group shot while wearing tight denim pants and standing next to one another. However, after receiving criticism for being “stereotypically British,” their picture became viral.
William Douglas, commonly known as Tat Vision, unveiled the monument outside All Bar One in Grand Central, Birmingham, last night.
The artist said that it was constructed from tight-fitting women mannequins, papier-mâché, and PVA adhesive, then painted bronze.
For a few publicity shots, three of the “four boys in jeans” knelt down in front of their new monument.
In the location where the now-famous photo was shot, the “four boys in jeans” were honored with a monument after their picture became a meme.
It was created by artist William Douglas, better known as Tat Vision, using tight-fitting mannequins and bronze paint. He also added papier-mâché and PVA adhesive.
Three boys from the group presented the piece of art in Birmingham last night.
The “lads in jeans” collectively repost internet memes on their verified Instagram account, which has amassed more than 25,000 followers.
The artist invited people to witness his bronze monument of “four boys in jeans” outside All Bar One Grand Central on Saturday before its grand launch on his Instagram page.
A memorial to these guys that was inspired by the ancient Greek monuments
These four guys are prepared for an adventure similar to the opening scene of Homer’s Odyssey.
The “awe-inspiring” Birmingham Weekender included more than 100 free activities around the city, and Tat Vision’s artwork was one of them.
The “lads in jeans” have a verified Instagram profile with more than 25,000 followers that is devoted to sharing memes made by internet users, in addition to the statue.
This was a preview of the sculptures from yesterday that will be displayed tomorrow in front of All Bar One Grand Central in Birmingham.
On a night out in 2019, Jamie Philips, Connor Humpage, Kevin Rooney, and Alex Lacey innocently posed for a group shot. Millions of people shared the image of the buddies standing side by side in tight denim pants after criticizing them for being “stereotypically British.”
Since their meteoric ascent to prominence, the group has interacted with famous people, appearing in interviews on Good Morning Britain and BBC Radio 1, as well as being pictured with Chris Kamara, a football hero and pundit, and Martyn Ford, a bodybuilder.
Users linking a picture of the group with a made-up “quote” that said something they thought one of the guys would say became the major meme that took over social media once it went viral.
“AJ [Anthony Joshua] hits Muhammad Ali,” and “Yeah he may have been a touch racist, but defacing a Winston Churchill monument is just too far friend,” were just two of the numerous instances given.
They admitted to The Tab that their portrayal made people associate their “look” with images of “lads” with “bigoted” opinions.
One such instance was a photo with the “statement” “It’s sorry what happened to that black geezer in America but all this rioting and looting is simply not on friend,” in reference to George Floyd’s passing.
The “lads in jeans” (seen here) now have a verified Instagram account with more than 25,000 followers where they repost memes made by internet users.
Since becoming Internet memes, the guys (pictured) have interacted with celebrities, appearing in images with Martyn Ford, a bodybuilder, and Chris Kamara, a football hero. They have also been interviewed by BBC Radio 1 and Good Morning Britain.
Even this year’s Brit Awards saw them perform a sketch with presenter and comedian Jack Whitehall (pictured)
A lot of individuals on social media used picture editing software to add other people’s faces to the bodies of the four guys, and one Etsy business owner even offered mugs with the faces of Matt Hancock, Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, and Chris Whitty side by side.
The Chief Medical Officer for England’s spoof account, “Chris Whitty,” captioned the tweet it was copied from: “Cheeky Nandos 2k21! Enjoy these lads.
Conor McGregor, an Irish MMA fighter and former UFC champion, who has 45.9 million Instagram followers, had the same procedure.
A Twitter user by the name of Richard posted an edited version of Kim Kardashian’s Instagram story with the comment, “My little artist North.” The original photo was of her small daughter’s artwork, but in the middle of the social media uproar over the four boys, their picture was slapped on.
Even the comedian and night’s presenter Jack Whitehall joined them in a parody about this year’s Brit Awards.
Now, the Brit Awards are just as well-known for their after-hours antics as they are for the actual ceremony, Whitehall said.
Sadly, there won’t be any afterparties this year because of Covid. I’m devastated, but not nearly as devastated as my team, right, lads?’
The four people are seen standing, with Whitehall donning the same clothing as their well-known meme—tight blue jeans and a dissatisfied expression.
The Coventry and Birmingham-based group informed hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain that they had been subjected to torrents of hate online as a result of the several memes that had been circulated.
My work number was made public, so I began receiving a ton of hoax calls, Alex Lacey revealed.
“That had a big impact on me.” To be quite honest, it did have a significant impact on my emotional condition since you should keep personal and professional matters apart.
I had to leave social media, he said, since they began writing troll remarks on my mother’s comments as well. It wasn’t pleasant.
One Twitter user commented on the monument, saying: “Perfect portrayal of these Brum symbols thus far.”
I truly can’t wait to see the heads, another person said, if the bodies are anything like this.
The “meme guys,” who gained notoriety after making an appearance in a viral post, have addressed speculation that they may feature on the next season of Love Island.
The four men—Connor Humpage, Jamie Phillips, Alex Lacey, and Kevin Rooney—appeared on Capital Breakfast to talk about their unexpected ascent to fame.
Roman Kemp, the 27-year-old host, immediately asked Connor whether he would like his adjustments on the ITV2 dance competition this year.
However, he acknowledged that he doesn’t want to be on the program since he is already married and said, “No. Since three of us have girlfriends,
Roman remarked, “Kevin, you’re the single one, so Kevin?” after realizing Kevin was the singleton. Is Love Island in the works?
Kevin refused to deny rumors, saying, “Oh, we’ll have to see, won’t we?”
Sonny Jay, the co-host, cheered: “Ohhhh! Make it happen, please!”