We all know the iconic meme; Leonardo DiCaprio holding up a glass of champagne from the 2013 movie, The Great Gatsby. Even if you have never heard of the classic novel, you have almost certainly seen this meme format on the internet at least once in the last few years, no doubt. How did this meme become so popular? Toasts almost exclusively happen at boring family gatherings and are dreaded by the younger population, so why has this young population chosen a toast to emulate a book of all things in internet culture? Well to be honest, it’s just so awesome. No one likes a toast from an ancient family member, but from one of the most attractive men on the planet, it is widely anticipated and seen as glamorous and exciting.
Without context, this format simply becomes more and more versatile and hilarious to viewers. The face, iconic. The suit, iconic. In gif form, the nod, *chef’s kiss*. In this scene, Gatsby hosts one of his raging parties and this serves as a showcase of the wealth and carefree 1920s attitude that The Great Gatsby shows us. Leonardo’s face as Jay Gatsby in this particular shot used for the champagne meme looks outwardly happy and that is commonly the context used for the text on the majority of the memes. However, knowing the context of the novel, you can see the pain and loneliness in his eyes. It is almost as if Gatsby parties to cope with his longing for Daisy, and maybe he thinks she might show up one day. When she never does, that’s when the plot thickens!