Why Jeffrey Dahmer memes are problematic (2024)

The internet exploded in September 2022 when Netflix and Ryan Murphy released Dahmer, a limited drama series about how Jeffrey Dahmer lured, killed, and ate many gay teens and men between the years of 1978 and 1991.

The serial killer and sex offender was portrayed by Evan Peters, a beloved heartthrob and alum of other Murphy programs like American Horror Story. Peters and other cast members have been nominated for Emmy awards for their performances, as has the series itself.

The show blew up: It became the second most watched English-language series on Netflix, and the fourth most watched show on the platform. The popularity of the show is certainly thanks, in part, to Americans’ obsession with true crime. But it also became a trending topic, something that everyone was watching because everyone else was watching it.

And when something is trending, it usually becomes a meme.

The Jeffrey Dahmer TikTok audio

The most popular meme that came out of the show is a clip of Peters (as Dahmer) saying “relax, I just wanna take some pictures.” In the series, Dahmer says this to a victim of his, who looks back at him in fear.

A TikTok audio of Peter’s voice saying the line has been used in over 86,000 videos. The originator of the sound, a hairstylist named Heather, dressed up as Dahmer and recited the line in a TikTok. Her caption joked that she becomes Dahmer during appointments, saying that before her clients leave, she stops them because she wants to take photos of their hair.

TikTokers took Heather’s joke and ran with it, saying that they were like Dahmer just wanting to take pictures when they’re with their friends, when they see their crush, when they want to take photos of their food at a restaurant, or when they’re with their pet or see a cute animal. Many TikTokers also associated the audio with the trend of taking photos of people from above their head with the .5 lens on iPhones.

The Jeffrey Dahmer meme

Another clip of Peters as Dahmer became a meme: Dahmer saying “I told you, we’re gonna hang out, gonna watch a movie” became the “I told you we are going to watch [insert program’s name] and then you can leave” meme.

In the show, Dahmer says this to a victim, but the meme communicates what people want their friends to watch with them. Examples include: The Shrek DVD movie menu, Star Wars, King of the Hill, among many others.

Other Jeffrey Dahmer content online

Peters as Dahmer and Dahmer himself have been made into GIFS, some that show the aforementioned lines and clips from the series, and others that just show Dahmer or Peters as Dahmer expressing an emotion.

One particularly popular GIF of Dahmer shows him saying “delicious.” There are also GIFS of Ross Lynch, who played Dahmer in the 2017 film My Friend Dahmer.

Additionally, TikTokers have made edits of Peters as Dahmer set to upbeat and/or sexy music, fueling fans’ obsession with the show.

And like many popular memes, there is merchandise available of meme-d clips from the Netflix series, including t-shirts and mugs.

The problem with Jeffrey Dahmer memes

Memes featuring Dahmer make light of a very grave and tragic situation: Dahmer raped, cannibalized, and dismembered his victims. He also engaged in necrophilia. As mentioned, he was a serial killer and a sex offender, he also molested teen boys.

And it’s not just the memes that trivialize the horrible things that Dahmer did— the families of Dahmer’s victims felt the same way about the Netflix show.

Rita Isbell, the sister of one of Dahmer’s victims who was portrayed in the series, wrote in an essay published by Business Insider that she wasn’t even contacted before her likeness was used as an on-screen character in the show.

“I was never contacted about the show. I feel like Netflix should’ve asked if we mind or how we felt about making it,” Isbell wrote. “They didn’t ask me anything. They just did it.”

What’s more, a lawyer for the families of Dahmer’s victims says that the series Emmy nominations glorify Dahmer. Additionally, many feel that TikTok edits of the serial killer—even when being played by an actor—glorify him and his crimes, too.