Here’s what the straighten your crown meme means and where it comes from:
Generally speaking, the meme is a metaphor where one remembers their parents and straightens their crown as an act to prepare to take on an impending challenge.
There are many takes on this metaphor that range from religious to personally sentimental.
In every case, the meme is intended to be inspirational.
So if you want to learn all about the meaning and history of the straighten your crown meme, then this article is for you.
Keep reading!
What Is the Straighten Your Crown Meme?
Before we jump into history, origin stories, meanings, and philosophical discussions, we should probably take a minute to make sure everyone is thinking about the same meme here.
It’s a big internet out there, and there are a lot of memes.
The one I’m reviewing today comes in a few forms, but more often than not, it’s the exact same meme posted again and again.
This isn’t a type of joke meme where you fill in your own setup or punchline.
Instead, it’s meant to be inspirational, and that’s why there’s more consistency here.
You might have seen some variations on the meme.
I’ll talk about that a little bit, but for the most part, I’m going to focus on the meme as follows:
On the darkest days when I feel inadequate, unloved, and unworthy, I remember whose daughter I am and I straighten my crown!
Those words are usually written at the top of a picture that shows a young girl in a white outfit straightening a crown on her head.
Some variations of the meme might reference a son or gender-neutral child instead of a daughter, but the underlying point is the same.
There are also versions that word things differently.
In all, this meme is always to the same point.
Straightening the crown is an act of preparation to face a challenge.
Where Can You Find the Straighten Your Crown Meme?
Where will you see this meme?
Naturally, you can go to meme resources and look for it.
It’ll definitely pop up.
You can find it on Reddit and Tumblr too, as they are great sources for meme research.
By and large, though, you’re going to see this meme posted on social media, and you’ll often see it in a somewhat standard or common format.
That’s because people tend to post this meme when they’re dealing with a problem or challenge in life.
It’s supposed to be on the inspirational side of things, so any social media where you see people talking about what they’re going through in life is a place where you will find this meme.
Facebook and Instagram are probably the pack leaders in this case.
That’s certainly where I see it more often than not.
Where Does the Straighten Your Crown Meme Come From?
Here’s where things are a little interesting.
Most memes have common sources that can be tracked.
In a lot of cases, you can scour the internet and even find the first time a meme went viral.
You can credit memes to individual users.
At the very least, you can usually find the original picture or image that a meme is using.
Similarly, you can also find an original quote that is either being copied or reframed for the sake of the meme.
This one is different.
As far as memes go, it’s one of the deeper mysteries on the internet.
It’s not just that I couldn’t find the origin of the meme.
A lot of people who are really good at this couldn’t find a certain origin either.
The one thing that does seem clear is that the version I quoted earlier is the original form of the meme.
Variations all came later, and that’s why I’ll really be sticking to that specific version throughout this article.
What Does the Straighten Your Crown Meme Mean? (4 Takes)
Since there is no clear original source of this meme, I can’t tell you what was originally intended.
I can speculate, and I certainly will, but we’ll never be sure what was meant the first time this meme was posted.
That said, there are some very common takes on the meme, and I’ll explain each of those in full detail.
What’s interesting is that even though the emotion and sentiment behind the meme seem pretty clear (an attempt to inspire), the source of inspiration is very different depending on who you ask.
For some, it’s a religious meme.
For others, it’s a reference to simple pop culture phrases.
It turns out that a meme based on emotional evocation is going to mean different things to different people, and I certainly think that makes it all the more interesting.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the common meanings behind the meme.
#1 The Religious Take
This is probably the most common take on the meme.
It’s based on Christian ideology.
Since we’re butting up against religion, I want to take a minute to put out a disclaimer and tread a little lightly.
I’m not here to preach to anyone, nor am I trying to criticize any religion.
This just happens to be a common point of view for people posting the meme, and I’m going to try to explain the idea from that frame of reference.
One of the primary theses in Christianity is that there is a single creator of the universe, God, and he is the king of all things.
Another primary thesis is that God takes in believers as his own children and literally treats them as family.
If you put those two together, then you arrive at a conclusion that believers in Christianity are princes and princesses, as sons and daughters of the king of all things.
From this perspective, the idea behind the meme is that as a Christian, the poster is a daughter of God.
As such, she should be capable of facing trials with dignity and courage.
At the same time, there are expectations that come with being a daughter of God.
She should straighten her crown as a symbol of adjusting her perspective in order to properly represent her faith regardless of what she might be facing.
In other words, if you’re the daughter of God, you should be able to handle anything that comes your way.
Straighten your crown and face the problem head-on.
That’s the gist, anyway.
#2 The Metaphorical Take
You can arrive at a lot of religious conclusions without taking the religious route to get there.
Some people who post the meme don’t intend it to reflect any type of belief in divinity.
Instead, the whole thing is a non-religious metaphor.
In this case, the idea is that a person can be the queen of her own life.
After all, you’re the one who is responsible for your life, not anyone else.
From that perspective, when a challenge comes along, you need to be able to rely on yourself and face the problem with courage and dignity (see how we still got to the same place?).
From this perspective, the crown isn’t a reference to a belief in some inherited responsibility or nobility.
Instead, it’s just another simple metaphor.
You’re straightening your crown to evoke strong emotions of capability.
You’re not a passenger in your own life.
You’re the queen.
You can handle problems and face challenges with authority.
#3 An Appeal to Nobility
In fact, the metaphorical take is really an appeal to nobility.
There’s a reason the meme uses a crown for imagery and not something else.
You could unsheath your sword, wipe the dirt off your face, tie your shoes, or take any number of metaphorical actions.
Any of them would point in the same loose direction of preparing to tackle a challenge.
A crown is chosen for the meme specifically to appeal to an idea of royalty or nobility.
There have been plenty of depictions of good and bad queens over the years.
This meme is appealing to the good ones.
You’re straightening your crown so you can be like inspiring characters who bear noble traits and strength.
You’re not some commoner taking on this challenge.
You’re the queen.
#4 Missing Parents
There’s a very different take that I did see come up a few times, and it’s definitely worthy of a mention.
In this case, the meme is not referencing God or any specific nobility.
Instead, the emphasis is to remember “whose daughter you are.”
From this perspective, the meme is coming from someone who is missing a parent.
In this case, the crown is a symbol of heritage.
It’s not necessarily that the poster believes their parent to be royalty, but instead, the crown is a representation of what they learned and inherited from their parent (or parents).
The missing mother or father left behind everything the person needs to face a challenge and come out ahead.
Straightening the crown is an act of remembrance and deference.
You’re taking a moment to collect the lessons, inner strength, character, and other things that you received from your parent.
That’s the act of straightening the crown.
Then, you can charge forward and overcome whatever is before you.
It’s a different take on the same metaphor, but once again, it comes to the same conclusion.
The meme evokes images of strength, determination, and capability.
That’s what it is really all about.