Instagram egg, former internet sensation, has gone pro-Palestine
It might come as a surprise to learn that the second most-liked post on Instagram belongs to an egg.
In fact, it was the top-liked post until December 2022, when it was overtaken by footballer Lionel Messi, who posted pictures of himself and his teammates as they celebrated Argentina's 2022 World Cup win.
But now the world record egg, also known as Eugene, is hoping to reclaim its title - this time for raising awareness about Israel's ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip.
Last week, the account posted a picture featuring the Palestinian flag on an egg with the caption: "Let's set a new world record together and get the most liked post on Instagram for a good cause.
Stay informed with MEE's newsletters
Sign up to get the latest alerts, insights and analysis, starting with Turkey Unpacked
The post comes as Israel continues its devastating war on Gaza, now in its ninth month. Homes, schools and hospitals have been flattened by air strikes and scorched by tank fire, with research at the end of April finding that over 56 percent of the already impoverished Strip's buildings had been destroyed or damaged.
Nearly the entire population of the Palestinian enclave is reported to have fled their homes, and those who remained in the north are on the verge of famine.
More than 37,000 people have been killed, the majority women and children. Thousands more are missing and presumed to be dead under the rubble.
Online response
As of now, the egg's post has accumulated over three million likes, leaving it well short of its target. It has, however, elicited plenty of praise.
"I knew the egg was GOATED," commented one user, using the popular acronym for "greatest of all time".
A Gaza-based photographer commented: "From Gaza, thank you and much appreciation. Perhaps a simple message carries a thousand meanings."
"When an egg is better than certain world leaders," another commented.
While the majority of comments have expressed solidarity, a few have criticised the viral account for commenting on politics, with some pro-Israel users dropping the Israeli flag into the comments.
"Even memes are getting political now," one user wrote.
Others called attention to how certain celebrity and influencer accounts have still not used their platforms to call attention to the situation in Gaza, while a meme account has.
"Even World Record Egg posted about Palestine. What’s your excuse?" questioned one user on X, formerly Twitter.
the way the world record egg posted this and some fuckass celebrities didn’t pic.twitter.com/OPmMHCDI64
— ser ⭑ (@wlfchvnii) June 3, 2024
The account’s owner, which was previously revealed to be British advertising creative Chris Godfrey, was listed as one of the top 25 most influential people on the internet by Time magazine in 2019. The account was sold to Dubai-based investor Mustafa El Fishawy in April this year for a "seven-figure sum".
MEE has reached out to the egg account and Fishawy for comment.
This is not the first time the popular egg featured in an awareness campaign. Months after the meme went viral, cracks began appearing on the egg, until it appeared in an animated campaign for mental health.
A caption from the clip read: "Recently, I've started to crack, the pressure of social media is getting to me. If you’re struggling too, talk to someone."
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
