Redditor’s Wife Meme Template

Someone waits in the doorway while a man stays absorbed in his computer. Pair a request for attention with a reply that shows his mind is still on the screen.

The gap is between a conversation happening in the room and one person’s attention being somewhere online. A straightforward request gets an answer shaped by comments, games, or browser tabs.

The photo can stand for any interrupted offline conversation. You do not need a joke about marriage for the mismatch in attention to work.

The image began as a stock photograph of a man using a computer while a woman stands behind him. Know Your Meme traces its use as an image macro to a Reddit post on May 18, 2011, then records the name Redditor’s Wife in r/AdviceAnimals on May 20. [1]

Early captions imagined the computer user responding to his wife in internet slang. The photo’s models are playing a scene; the captions are not evidence about their real relationship. [1]

Write the offline request across the top. Put the distracted reply near the bottom over the monitor and clothing. Keep both faces clear so readers can see the difference in attention.

A reply that belongs in an online conversation works better than a random refusal. Borrow the language of a game lobby, a comment thread, or a loading screen.

The offline request

Across the background at the top, above the faces.

The distracted reply

Over the monitor and clothing near the bottom.

• Give the person in the doorway a clear request.
• Make the answer sound as if it belongs on the computer.
• Use short dialogue rather than labels on both faces.
• Keep the joke about distraction, not a claim about the people pictured.