[View the story "Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax sparks 'Te'oing' Meme" on Storify ]Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax sparks 'Te'oing' Meme Much like the photo-posing memes planking, horsemanning and Tebowing, Te'oing involves recreating a specific gesture, taking a photo, and sharing it online. In this case, that gesture is posing with an imaginary girlfriend. Storified by CBC News Community · Fri, Jan 18 2013 18:10:39
RT @hp_aka_bama: @ndrewJanney #Te'oing http://pic.twitter.com/esglKuVVndrewJanney
The web has been abuzz this week over star Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o and the news that his dead girlfriend Lennay Kekua, whose memory was said to have propelled him to athletic excellence during his Heisman Trophy campaign in 2012, never really existed.
Manti Te'o's Dead Girlfriend, The Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A HoaxNotre Dame's Manti Te'o, the stories said, played this season under a terrible burden. A Mormon linebacker who led his Catholic school's ...
Deadspin's Wednesday story revealing the hoax has set off a flurry of reactions across the web; some thoughtful, some angry, some reflective, and many humorous.
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Shortly after the 21-year-old football star released a statement saying he was fooled into believing that Kekua existed based on their online correspondence, the "Te'oing" meme emerged and caught wildfire.
Manti te'oing. Lets do it at school. http://pic.twitter.com/kgTibY7WCameron Sloan
RT @KrisWhitt94: Y'all still Tebowing? We Te'oing now http://pic.twitter.com/hHdAz3anJaredErkins
TE'OING http://instagr.am/p/UnIlorQ4rD/Drake Alan✌™
Much like the photo-posing memes
plakning ,
horsemanning and
Tebowing (to get down one knee and pray in the style of New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow) Te'oing involves recreating a specific gesture, taking a photo, and sharing it online.
In this case, that gesture is posing with an imaginary girlfriend.
RT @darrenrovell: Bye bye, Kaepernicking, here comes Te'oing (via @BrianDiCarlo93) http://twitpic.com/bvu9owWillie Vice
My brother Te'Oing hahaha!! http://pic.twitter.com/YlBsE6YHHay Hay
RT @AndrewVarela525: Les Miz loves #Te'oing http://twitpic.com/bw3jpuLarry1914
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The #teoing hashtag had become so popular within such a short amount of time that the term had already been honoured as Urban Dictionary's word of the day by Friday,.
Te'oingThe acto of hugging an imaginary person.
While one might think Notre Dame fans would be averse to mocking one of their own, some students were quick to get in on the action.
RT @darrenrovell: Even people on Notre Dame's campus are Te'oing (H/T @FoulPoles11) http://twitpic.com/bw37l1Mary Lou Casper
Sandrarose
People have been spotted across the web taking their imaginary girlfriends out to dinner...
Te'oing! http://pic.twitter.com/zt7DQrdPJosh Laramore
RT @TreeBillz: Cody eating at fazolis with his fake gf #te'oing http://pic.twitter.com/ymXG5c9TDeanz
RT @nickrotola: Lunch with my girl.. #Te'oing http://pic.twitter.com/4fT3WuGxJosh Ward
For rides around town...
Te'oing #Liebacker #ImaginaryGirlfriend http://instagr.am/p/UpJ8RaKf7T/Toooopy
RT @Nnamchucks: Te'oing on the 10a #shesopritty http://pic.twitter.com/5cFXOBAyIan Damiani
just #te'oing with my girl around the town.. #lucky http://pic.twitter.com/SOuFRONZeric møntøya
RT @tbied1983: @corbydavidson my girl and I are stuck in traffic. #Te'oing http://pic.twitter.com/q6ykO07JMichael Dockins
Me Te'oing (with my girl) http://pic.twitter.com/J3zwOAQ0Larry Scotti
Bringing them to work and school...
RT @Landcruiser51: Me and my girl bout to take a facility tour....#Te'oing http://pic.twitter.com/il0hUgklshavon harrison
Te'oing at work. #haha http://pic.twitter.com/jLieCAyQJamesie313
RT @ScottyJayy: My New Girl #Te'oing http://pic.twitter.com/X69kF1lhDeck Heads SB
@NDKalu @gregkoch1 Te'oing at work!! Ain't she hot uncle Greg? http://pic.twitter.com/IfFUl2Gqgarciarafael65
Chilln wit my girl. #Manti Te'oing http://yfrog.com/g0sydnvxjJ.Russ
Te'oing at Umpire School, its like Tebowing but better http://instagr.am/p/UoGtTUt1j7/Badger™
And even bringing them into the bathroom!
Te'Oing http://pic.twitter.com/AsySE5e2Trent N
RT @SwaggJonesy: Me and my girlfriend #te'oing http://pic.twitter.com/odIYbvhbJack Price
#toosoon #maybe #Te'oing http://pic.twitter.com/WV3P7WHfJenn Bunn
At least one famous face is getting in on the meme:
Ronald is even TE'OING http://twitpic.com/bw3vzrFunnyPicsDepot
And some people are taking te'oing to the next level.
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What are your thoughts on the Te'oing meme? Is it a good bit of light-hearted fun, or insensitive to Te'o's plight? Share your thoughts below.
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