Charlie Chaplin Was the Original 'Distracted Boyfriend' Before the Viral Meme

The "disloyal man walking with his girlfriend and looking amazed at another seductive girl" meme or simply the "distracted boyfriend" meme was one of the biggest trends of 2017.

And, now, the Internet has dug up the "original" source of the viral meme.

Here's a quick recap: a Shutterstock photo had surfaced and spread like wildfire on the interweb last year. In the photo, a man is seen shamelessly looking at a woman while holding his partner's hand. Twitterati got creative and put the photo into different scenarios with funny captions and edits.

As it turns out, the meme can be traced back almost 100 years, in a 1922 silent film featuring Charlie Chaplin titled Pay Day.

In the movie, a scene identical to the one in the distracted boyfriend meme takes place, in which Chaplin is seen checking out another woman while walking alongside his wife.

Image source:YouTube

Naturally, the Internet was blown away by this discovery. 

The meme enthusiasts can watch the entire Pay Day here:

And if you want to dive back into the distracted boyfriend memes, thank us later.