Meaning
What does Hide The Pain Harold mean?
Hide the Pain Harold refers to the stock photo model, András Arató, who got viral due to the perceived suppressed sadness and depression, behind his smile.
Origin
What's the origin of Hide The Pain Harold?
It is unclear exactly where he started his career as a meme, but stock photos featuring Harold can be traced back to 2011 on the site Facepunch.
These stock photos were taken from DreamsTime.
Spread & Usage
How did Hide The Pain Harold spread?
On October 23rd, 2011, the Facebook page, “Hide the Pain Harold” was created to the tribute of the meme.
In 2014, a thread on 4chan put together various stock photos, featuring “Harold” and crafted a story behind the insincere smiles.
“Hide the Pain Harold” uncovered his identity as András Arató in 2016, on the Russian social network site VK.
External resources
- The Guardian – Experience: my face became a meme
- Wikipedia – András Arató
- Hungary Today – Hide the Pain Harold is Looking for Investors to Make His Dream Come True