The words "Alex from Target" might mean nothing to you, but they mean everything to the hormonal legions of Twitter teens.
A young Target employee named Alex ascended to Internet fame overnight, inexplicably inspiring his very own meme. This is just further evidence that teenagers can make literally anyone a star -- even a random employee at a big box store.
Alex's rise to the top of Twitter began on Sunday after user @auscalum tweeted a photo of him (though in later tweets she denies taking the photo).
YOOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/eknsxBlx38— rims (@auscalum) November 2, 2014
Hundreds of thousands of tweets later, #AlexFromTarget trended worldwide, and is currently still trending in the United States. The photo inspired creepily romantic memes and fan fiction that spread quickly from Twitter to Tumblr and Vine.
OMG!! THERE IS EVEN A PLEDGE TO HIM ALREADY HAHAH #alexfromtarget pic.twitter.com/SEWfMB4NHU— Alex (@ObeyMendes_) November 3, 2014
#alexfromtarget is like an inside joke with the whole twitter world pic.twitter.com/FpU5DadgDA— Tessa Baker (@123tessab) November 3, 2014
I laughing so hard what has this world come to #alexfromtarget pic.twitter.com/y6W6m1OqZq— chicken and chili (@amusatstyles) November 3, 2014
He saved my groceries #alexfromtarget pic.twitter.com/xdycZmBaUd— alex from target (@ryanftgrier) November 3, 2014
and this is why i love twitter, people. #alexfromtarget pic.twitter.com/RdMsdwJ70m— Perfectly Imperfect (@FemaIeStruggle) November 3, 2014
The related hashtag #AskAlexAQuestion is also trending in the U.S., though the Target employee in question has yet to answer questions from his confirmed Twitter account. Alex, whose last name is currently unknown, gained more than 316,000 followers overnight.
Am i famous now?— DGM_Alex (@acl163) November 2, 2014
Already fake accounts of me — DGM_Alex (@acl163) November 3, 2014
So many followers — DGM_Alex (@acl163) November 3, 2014
You guys are amazing... goodnight — DGM_Alex (@acl163) November 3, 2014
Alex did not immediately respond to request for comment via Twitter. Target spokesperson Molly Snyder, however, told Mashable that the company was surprised to see the meme trending on Sunday.
"So imagine our surprise yesterday when one of our Target team members managed to flood the Internet with images of red and khaki without even trying," she said. "We are proud to have a great team, including #AlexFromTarget, and are in contact with his store and family."
Meanwhile, #AlexFromTwitter has inspired a spin-off meme starring another famous employee dressed in red and khaki: #JakeFromStateFarm.
Khakis and a red shirt. Who wore it better? #alexfromtarget #JakeFromStateFarm pic.twitter.com/4v3dxEbBNU— alxjs (@alexander_jess_) November 3, 2014
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