There is a widespread meme that I have been coming across for over a year. It is in the form of a short video of an egg with the iconic “Roblox man face”. At first, it might seem like another random “brainrot” meme. But I believe it communicates a deeper desire behind it, aside from chaotic comedy. In this essay I will focus on analyzing the different elements of the material, including the visuals and the audio, and relate them to Gen Z’s upbringing and current reality under late capitalism.
Character analysis:
As the video begins, we see an egg with the “roblox man face” which became popular in 2021, and 2 feminine long legs, and pink high heels. This egg is the one and only character in the video. It starts by running, then proceeds to jump while turning in what seems to be an athletic move before it lands. At the end, the egg proceeds to twerk; adding a sarcastic tone. Sarcasm is a method used sometimes to cope with insecurities, or communicate feelings and thoughts without facing consequences. Sarcasm is simply one form of expression. It has its purpose, but it can and does communicate facts and serious thoughts and feelings. Although the twerk at the end asserts the sarcasm of the content, it does not change the deeper message behind it.
The character is surrealist in nature: a running egg. Its gender is ambiguous given that it has a face that strongly signals masculinity, but its lower body is strongly feminine. It is possible to argue that the ambiguity makes the character appealing to both males and females, as the spectator sees a relatable part regardless of their gender. I also believe that the ambiguity is also present in the jump and turn. It is athletic, but it also falls between dancing and martial arts. As the character turns mid-air, its legs are contracted, possibly causing the spectator assume that a mid-air move which involves spreading at least one leg will follow. However, that move does not happen, although it is anticipated.
The movement of the character implies a story of action. The video starts while the character is running, the direction is not clear as the landscape behind it is just a plain green field. It is not clear whether the character is running from something, towards something, or just building momentum for the jump.
Landscape and sound:
The landscape itself is reminiscent of “default” worlds in games that are used for building an experience. An example of this is Minecraft’s “flat” world, and also Roller Coaster Tycoon has similar feature although it is older than Minecraft. Such empty and simple landscapes remind me of Max Ernst’s works such as Ubu Imperator (1923) or The Fireside Angel (1937), Dali’s Galatea of the Spheres (1952), or René Magritte’s Le Fils de l'homme (1964). Perhaps, the landscape is not the center here, but it is an important part nonetheless. The composition is also similar, as the character is not only the center of the work but also is in the center of the frame.
Sounds can be complementary to videos and images, and the Run Away Egg has a song playing throughout the video which says: “I wanna run away, anywhere out of this place”. This is probably the only piece of context provided. While the visuals do not provide us with any context, the audio becomes the “frame”. Just as a fancy golden frame with beautiful patterns can make a painting look expensive or deep, audio can give an additional effect to the visuals. And the audio clearly communicates a desire to escape.
The audio changes the meaning of the visuals. The character is no longer running aimlessly, but running either towards freedom or in freedom; The character is either experiencing or expressing its freedom. This explains the landscape. It is a blank page, and can be interpreted as a symbol of freedom; An open world. It serves as a new beginning, or freedom through distance from certain things, or in the case of a flat landscape: distance from everything.
Relation to Gen Z and nostalgia:
The familiarity of the combined audio and visuals to Gen Z are likely the reason for the meme being popular. Gen Z grew with futuristic media and animated series of all kinds that enriched the generation’s imagination. So, a running egg with legs is not as weird as it may sound to other generations. It is as weird as ninja turtles, a kid that transforms into an alien through a watch, or a regular episode of The Amazing World of Gumball. The last show is probably the best example of Gen Z media that breaks all norms, and even intentionally blurs reality with imagination by putting 2D characters and 3D characters in realistic settings, sometimes with realistic characters too. Perhaps, another element of familiarity is the landscape as I mentioned earlier, and the character’s face being a famous symbol which is the roblox man face.
The audio is from an electronic song released in late 2014 by Galantis, titled “Runaway (U & I)“, which serves as the key to understanding the relation to freedom besides breaking the norms and the open landscape: nostalgia. Roblox, Minecraft, and 2014 music are all part of the childhood and teenagerhood of Gen Z. Being the generation burdened with late-stage capitalism and the havoc that it is bringing to the world, holding the weight of climate change, collapsing markets, high awareness of wars and conflicts worldwide, and social isolation, Gen Z wishes for freedom. And the sense of freedom or the desire for freedom can be triggered by nostalgia. And by using visuals and audio that tickle childhood memories, this meme is strumming the strings of nostalgia for Gen Z, which provides an escape from their stress, a memory of easier times.
Conclusion:
Although it might seem like shallow and chaotic sarcasm, the “Run Away Egg” meme is an emotionally charged piece of media coated in sarcasm. It relates to Gen Z’s desire for freedom. The sarcasm is seen on the surface and emphasized at the end of the video where the character begins to twerk. The inclusion of sarcasm does not prove my analysis wrong, as sarcasm is one way of coping with problems or communicating certain things lightly. The meme achieves its effect through many elements, including visuals reminiscent of Gen Z’s childhood, and an audio that clearly expresses a desire to escape or be free, which when combined we can relate to Gen Z’s struggles under late-stage capitalism and the desire to escape to a kinder world and easier time.