In 2013, 2-year-old “Side-eye Chloe” became a viral meme thanks to a photo of her looking severely unimpressed. A decade later, her mother confessed to feeling “a lot of guilt” over Chloe’s viral fame.
“I didn’t fully understand how big it would get,” Katie Clem said in an interview with People Magazine. “At the time, it seemed fun and harmless, but now, as Chloe gets older, I feel a lot of guilt about it.”
Losing control over the image of their toddler daughter made the parents uneasy, especially considering how fast and wild viral fame can be.
“The internet is forever,” Katie explained, adding how the possibility of Chloe’s privacy being compromised was a constant source of conversation between her and her husband.
“Once it’s out there, you can’t take it back.”
The mother of “Side-eyeing Chloe,” the two-year-old who became a meme sensation, broke her silence to reveal she feels “guilty”
Image credits: chloeclem
Chloe’s meme face was immortalized after she and her sister, Lily, were in their mother’s car on a family trip.
Katie then revealed that they were all heading to Disneyland—a dream come true for most kids her age. While Lily burst into tears with excitement, Chloe gave a bewildered, sideways glance so relatable it quickly became a meme.
Katie shared both of her daughters' reactions on her YouTube channel, with Chloe’s exploding in ways they could’ve never imagined.
Image credits: chloeclem
“Lily's was like a flash-in-the-pan kind of thing,” the mother recounted. “And because of the meme, Chloe's was just insanely crazy.”
Katie explained how she felt worried and unsettled after she started seeing her daughter’s face “everywhere.”
She had almost no time to process what was happening when her family trips suddenly became uncomfortable, and people constantly pestered her to take a picture with the famous 2-year-old.
Image credits: chloeclem
“Chloe was 2, and people were coming up to her," Katie recalled. "They were freaking out. They were taking pictures of her."
Even when traveling abroad, people followed them. The family recalled a particularly busy trip to Brazil, where they were “swarmed” by “hundreds of people.”
“It was insane. She had billboards all over São Paulo,” she said.
Chloe’s popularity changed her family’s life forever, as they were able to improve their financial situation beyond what they could’ve imagined
Image credits: chloeclem
Despite the pressure they experienced, with fame also came riches. The family was able to monetize the famous picture of their daughter for commercial use, changing their lives.
“That money literally helped us survive for a decade,” Katie said. “Every ounce of the money, aside from saving it and putting it away, was helping us get through our life. Rent, bills, food.”
Image credits: chloeclem
The Clem’s started receiving multiple sponsorships, going as far as to make deals with Google. They finally sold the rights to the image as a non-fungible token in 2021 for an enviable sum of $74,000.
“10 years ago, we were so poor. This happened to us, and we're like, 'What? We can pay bills. We can upgrade our tiny apartment for the four of us.' It was real-world issues," Katie added, stating that now that many of their needs are covered, they’ve been able to save for Chloe’s future education.
Image credits: chloeclem
Now, 12 years later, Chloe is 14 and in the middle of her adolescence. Her features have matured to the point where people rarely recognize her, much to the family's relief.
“It’s pretty weird,” Chloe said about the overwhelming fame of her toddler self compared to her current relative anonymity. “Sometimes it’s funny, but other times it’s just kind of strange.”
Katie realized the fame was starting to hurt her daughters' lives and scaled back on their exposure to allow them to lead everyday lives
Image credits: chloeclem
Allowing Chloe and Lily to lead normal lives as teenagers was no easy task, as her parents had to voluntarily walk away from highly lucrative opportunities to safeguard their privacy.
Image credits: chloeclem
For instance, when Lily was around 7 years old, Disney reached out, interested in featuring her in a TV show. Katie was then faced with a difficult decision but ultimately chose to turn the opportunity down in fear of her daughter being negatively affected by the experience.
“I just knew that was not the direction I wanted for my children. And then through personal experiences raising them, I am so incredibly grateful that I listened to my instinct and didn't go that route,” she explained.
Image credits: Trilly Mac
The family then gradually reduced their presence on social media, uploading less and less videos on their YouTube channel.
Speaking to People Magazine, Katie explained that her biggest fear was exploiting her daughters, forcing them to create content not for fun but for money.
Image credits: ExaFM
“Once they got a little bit older, I forced them to do things, and I could tell they were bored. I could tell they were tired, and I'm like, 'Okay, we're done.'" she said.
Image credits: knowyourmeme
Nowadays, Katie puts her daughters first, making sure that any content they do put out there comes from a genuine place, and not from the pressure to go viral or generate revenue.
“The mom I am today is not the same mom I was back then,” Katie stated.
"Adorable, then and now!" Netizens were delighted to see the famous meme girl all grown up and leading a happy life
