Mugshots

About

Mugshots are booking photographs of individuals taken shortly after their arrest by law enforcement for the purpose of evidence documentation and record keeping. Because arrest data and photographs are public record and therefore so easily accessible, mugshots of celebrities in legal troubles often go viral on the Internet, as well as mugshots of photogenic individuals in general.

Origin

The mugshot format, which typically consists of a full face portrait and a side profile shot, was invented by French policeman Alphonse Bertillon (shown below) who introduced the practice to law enforcement in 1888.

Although police photographs have long been accessible to the public, celebrity mugshots weren’t quite established as a staple subgenre of viral media until the early to mid-2000s, when they became more readily available online through the websites of law enforcement agencies. Beginning in the late 2000s, several dozens of mugshot publishing websites were launched, as well as a number of online mugshot removal services that assist in getting rid of booking photographs from the Internet for a fee.

Spread

One of the earliest distinctive mugshot round-ups was published on December 29th, 2005, by The Smoking Gun^[5] titled “2005 Mug Shots Of The Year.” The next year Details^[6] published a round-up titled “The Most Outrageous Mug Shots Of The Decade” on September 25th, 2006. On May 22nd, 2008, Oodee^[7] published a round-up titled “20 Most Bizarre Mugshots ever.” On August 8th, 2009 the Tumblr blog fuckyeahmugshots^[9], which features notable and celebrity mugshots, was created. Mugshot round-ups continued to be popular in the late 2010s, with round-ups published by Buzzfeed^[8] and Urlesque.^[11] On January 17th, 2011, the subreddit r/Mugshots^[9] was created.

Attractive Convict

Attractive Convict is an advice animal based on a mugshot of a young woman with captions word playing on her beauty and criminal background, in a similar vein to the advice animal character Ridiculously Photogenic Guy. Prior to becoming an advice animal, the photograph was featured in “sexy mugshot” compilation posts on various websites. The meme was sparked by a mugshot of Florida resident Meagan Renea McCullough, who was arrested on July 25th, 2010, for driving under the influence. On August 9th, 2012, the photograph was included in a compilation of mugshots featuring attractive women on the men’s interest blog The Chive.

Jazz Hands Mugshot

On May 20th 2014, Hypervocal^[1] published the mugshots of Sandra Grohman, a Texas woman sentenced to 180 days in jail after she caused her baby to fall out of its stroller while she was intoxicated. The mugshot features Groham with her hands fanning out from the sides of her face in the style of traditional Broadway “jazz hands.” The mugshots were featured on many sites including Buzzfeed^[2] and Death and Taxes.^[3]

Jeremy Meeks’ Mugshot

Jeremy Meeks’ Mugshot is a police booking photograph of convicted felon Jeremy Meeks who gained much notoriety online after the picture was posted on Facebook in June 2014. The image inspired an advice animal image macro series with captions word playing on his attractiveness, in a similar vein to the advice animal characters Ridiculously Photogenic Guy and Attractive Convict. On June 18th, 2014, the Stockton Police Department Facebook page posted a photograph of Jeremy Meeks, a 30-year-old convicted felon who was arrested on felony weapons charges during a gun raid. In the first 48 hours, the post gained over 56,000 likes and 16,400 comments, with many noting how attractive Meeks’ appeared in the mugshot.

Celebrity Mugshots

Celebrity mugshots often spread online based on the subject’s celebrity alone, though sometimes the appearance or expression does contribute to the photos’ popularity, as in the case of Justin Beiber’s smiling mugshot (below, left) taken on January 23rd, 2014, and Amanda Byne’s purple-haired mugshots (below, right) taken on April 6th, 2012.

Other notable celebrity mugshots include Reese Witherspoon (below, left), Mel Gibson (below, center) and Lisa Robin Kelly (below, right).

Related Memes

Half-headed Mugshot

Half-headed mugshot refers to a viral image that consists of a mugshot of a man with a large portion of the top of his head missing. It appears to have been the unfortunate result of a deformity or accident. The man represents a prime example of how neuroplasticity allows the brain to rewire itself when massive amounts of brain tissue has been lost. The image was frequently photoshopped so the dent appeared to be filled.

Dezzing

Dezzing is a photo fad nspired by an unflattering mugshot of Oakland Raiders football player Desmond Bryant. The fad gained momentum on Twitter after it was introduced by American talk show host Jimmy Kimmel in late February 2013.

Search Interest

External References