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"Ermahgerd!" Meme Star Is Family

"It was a middle-schooler’s perspective of what funny is."

It was one of the biggest Internet memes of 2012, and launched a million spin-offs: A dorky looking tween holding three Goosebumps books and proclaiming "Ermahgerd Gersberms."

Vanity Fair tracked down the now-grown star of that meme, Maggie Goldenberger, who gave the lowdown on how that infamous image came together.

She was about 11 when the photo was taken, and says the look—pigtails, hideous vest, kooky expression—was intentional. In middle school, Goldenberger and a friend loved taking Polaroids of each other in silly costumes.

"[She] put on the vest, hoisted her hair up into intentionally dorky pigtails — she never wore them like that otherwise — brandished the chosen books, and pulled an intentionally hideous face for the camera," writes VF. "Normally, she hardly ever wore her retainer like she was supposed to, but it felt right for the character: she put it on for the shoot."

And her expression was priceless: “Eyes wide, eyebrows pitched sharply skyward, chin drawn inward, mouth agape, and retainer-clad teeth bared like a hissing harpy or cat."

Goldenberger, now a twentysomething nurse in Phoenix, was on vacation with her then-girlfriend i the Philippines when checked into a cybercafe and she discovered she had become an social-media sensation.

At some point, her friend had uploaded the picture to Facebook, where a Reddit user found it in a public gallery and shared it on a comment thread. Soon enough, another user added the "Ermahgerd" caption and history (and hundreds of Halloween costumes) was made.

"It was a middle-schooler’s perspective of what funny is, so I’m always surprised when adults are such fans," Goldenberger says. "It’s essentially making fun of a nerdy girl for being excited about books."

It’s nice to know we don’t have to feel too bad about loving it. Below, see how Maggie's photo launched a million memes.

h/t Shewired

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