penis captivus? / Now we can be together forever
A Overly Attached Girlfriend post.
Laina Morris, who in 2012 posted a YouTube parody of Justin Bieber's song "Boyfriend". A still of her wide-eyed, unblinking stare from the video became the face of clingy, possessive affection. The stare is a masterpiece. It's a smile that has already read your messages, checked your location and planned the wedding. The top line is a sweet-sounding gesture, the bottom line reveals how far it goes: "I made you a playlist" / "of all the times you said my name." "Saw you liked a photo" / "let's talk about it." "Left your phone at my place" / "already changed the password." It's affection with surveillance included. Morris played a character and played it well. She used the attention to start a YouTube career, which is about as healthy an outcome as a meme gets. **Why it caught on:** one stare captures the moment a relationship turns from romantic to slightly frightening.