Soyjak is a variation of Wojak meant to represent what its creators call a "beta male" or "nu-male," deriding him as unmasculine. He often appears in memes meant to mock those who are interested in things considered too feminine or "cringe," or who get upset over supposedly minor transgressions.
Many variations of the Soyjak have appeared in spinoff memes, including the pointing Soyjak meme.
The term "Soyjak" is a combination of "Wojak"—the MS paint image of the bald man with the inscrutable expression—and soy. While the Wojak's origins are shrouded in mystery, the Soyjak is a product of 4chan, where men gather to spread conspiracy theories about how soy is making all the men into women for world domination.
Soyjak represents everything the typical 4chan guy hates. He's a "beta male" who is too emotional, has a receding hairline with a short beard and glasses, and enjoys the wrong hobbies and interests. He is likely everything most of the men who unironically use the term "beta male" would see if they looked in the mirror — a product of self-loathing.
You'll often see a Soyjak yelling with tears streaming down his face in opposition to someone calm, such as Chad, or with his mouth open wide in excitement over something like a Nintendo system.
According to the lore, Soyjak is a redraw of the Wojak based on a 2017 4chan trend obsessing over the "nu-male mouth" or smile. This expression consists of a mouth opened in excitement either with a small smile or none at all with eyes that express little at all, considered "dead" or joyless.
The 4chan incels and other misogynists hated this kind of faux surprised face after they imagined it into being. To them, it represents the kind of man who caters to every need of his girlfriend, who has systematically destroyed his spirit with her feminism.
The first appearance of the Soyjak seems to have been in September 2017, popping up on 4chan and similar forums as he got excited about the Nintendo Switch, Rick & Morty DVDs, and soy milk.
While the original Soyjak memes, as well as many still made today, tended to contain right-wing messaging and themes that criticized the political left and other groups they didn't like, the trend grew to the point that it got away from its creators.
As the years went by, people began to appropriate the imagery to reject the idea that he's cringe, unattractive, or in any way a negative portrayal of a person.
Especially in variations that show him hyped about nerdy stuff, such as the pointing meme, the Soyjak has come to represent a genuine and endearing enthusiasm. Perhaps it's okay to like things like certain video games or cool bugs or anything, really.
At the same time, leftists began to use the crying Soyjak to represent people like 4chan incels or draw him to resemble right-wing figures like Andrew Tate.
Many sub-genres of the Soyjak meme have emerged since then, with one of the most popular being the one in which two of these little guys are pointing at something they like in the background. Both men have their mouths open in the classic Soyjak style with one arm outstretched behind them.
People have dressed up the boys as all kinds of characters from popular media, including Walter White and Jesse Pinkman pointing at their meth trailer.
Soyjaks became so popular as memes that an entire forum dedicated to their creation and spread popped up. 4chan users founded this imageboard in September 2020, and it's still going strong as of July 2024.
4chan user "Soot" said in a blog post that they intended the forum to be a joke and didn't expect it to become such a popular gathering place.
Related memes:
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The post The sad origins and redemption of the Soyjak meme appeared first on The Daily Dot.
