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Who is GigaChad and why should we care?

The GigaChad meme has sparked a worldwide investigation. Who is GigaChad? More importantly, is GigaChad real at all?

In many incel communities, uttering the term GigaChad is like screaming “Voldemort” at Hogwarts…It’s just not a great idea.

But if you’re out of the loop on these internet archetypes, you may be wondering what is a GigaChad or even an incel for that matter? And how on earth did the GigaChad meme you’ve been seeing around become a viral sensation so quickly?

giga chad
Credit: Instagram @berlin.1969

Well, the backstory on the GigaChad meme is deep, my friends. So buckle up meme lovers and brace yourselves for a chad charming history lesson. To save you from falling into the research rabbit hole meme yourself, we scoured the internet for chad memes and gathered all the info we could on this GigaChad phenomenon, and we’re going to do our very best to start at the GigaChad naked beginning…

Who is GigaChad?

“The face of GigaChad is truly a sight to behold, and one you simply can’t escape from in most corners of the internet,” says Don Caldwell, a host on the Know Your Meme YouTube channel. “Whichever website you go to, you’re bound to come across this muscular tower of a man, his charming smile, and his impossibly chiseled jawline.”

chad
Credit: YouTube

Obviously, this vivid GigaChad description begs the question, is GigaChad a real person out in the world or is GigaChad photoshopped completely? And what is GigaChad’s real name if he is an actual dude? Well, according to several reports, the GigaChad guy was invented by Krista Sudmalis, the creator of a photo art project called @sleekntears, which has now amassed 145K Instagram followers, thanks to the Chad face phenomenon.

 

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A post shared by KRISTA SUDMALIS (@sleekntears)

Krista Sudmalis who invented this Chad Thundercock muscular guy meme reportedly launched the SLEEK’N’TEARS art project in July of 2011. Initially, it consisted primarily of digitally modified photographs of herself and other individuals. However, in 2014, the content shifted to showcasing the muscular physique of naked men, and thus became the perfect man meme and the guy we know today.

According to Know Your Meme, in a 2016 interview, Krista Sudmalis referred to her five key GigaChad models during that period as her “muses.” However, her fifth GigaChad muse, who began being showcased more prominently than others in 2015 and 2016, is the GigaChad face we know today. Feast your eyes on this GigaChad below.

This digitally-enhanced chad meme face figure, with superhuman muscles, is modelled after GigaChad Instagram user, @berlin.1969 who refers to himself as a SLEEK’N’TEARS model on social media. In other words, he’s basically declaring that he’s GigaChad irl most definitely.

Shortly after the ultra GigaChad achieved virality, the grand debate as to whether or not GigaChad was a legitimate individual took over a myriad of 4chan forums in 2017, including the popular page /pol/. Even a Reddit user chimed in on the heated GigaChad topic, sharing a link to the @sleekntears Instagram account in the /r/bodybuilding subreddit.

What is a GigaChad supposed to represent?

Now that we’ve explored the GigaChad memes origins, what is the purpose of GigaChad’s existence? What motivated the black-and-white chad meme inception? Well, according to Know Your Meme, GigaChad is “an internet archetype” that symbolises the “ultimate Chad Thundercock.” For those of you who are as confused as us, Chad Thundercock is a moniker for good-looking and popular males who are sexually high achievers. Within this archetype, GigaChads are absolute kings, “representing an ultra-masculine, sexually attractive male.”

But when it comes to GigaChad’s meaning and his true identity, there’s more to the story. Krista’s digital depiction of GigaChad is said to be inspired by Ernest Khalimov, a Russian model. Ernest Khalimov Instagram fan account is @ernest.khalimov, if you want to see it for yourself. And lo and behold, here is Ernest Khalimov without photoshop in all his glory. Well, at least according to this Twitter user below.

Flash-forward to 2021, and the GigaChad meme has become so iconic, the dude gets his own anthem and average enjoyer meme revolution. Simply titled G I G A C H A D – Song on YouTube, it comprises lyrics that perfectly encapsulate what the GigaChad meme guy is all about: “Sharp jaw, tight abs, no flaws, GigaChad. He’s the average enjoyer, not the average fan. He respects women, he’s the perfect man.”

Released in October of 2021 by a musician named Day by Dave, this catchy tune about the average enjoyer guy has now amassed over 2.5 million views on YouTube, and 341,915 streams on Spotify. Listen to the GigaChad track via YouTube below.

Now in 2022, the digitally-generated heartthrob that is GigaChad continues to thrive. Krista Sudmalis has turned this viral online Chad meme into an entire franchise. Even GigaChad Elden Ring version is out there. There’s now a GigaChad NFT collection, an Elden Ring GigaChad archetype and an online merch store that can be found via @gigachad.army on Instagram. Aside from GigaChad Elden Ring you can even create your own Chad face meme figure using a GigaChad meme template online.

And for the ladies, there’s even a female GigaChad archetype circulating the web now. You can find out all about the female Giga Chad through the video below.