It happened in Tampa. A clean-cut kid in a salmon polo shirt, mint green shorts, and boat shoes stood on a pristine sidewalk. His hands were clasped in front of his waist. He looked like he was about to sell you a very expensive insurance policy or perhaps ask if your father knew his father. That kid was Lucky Luciano—real name Lucky Anselm—and in 2014, he posted that photo to Twitter.
The caption? "You know I had to do it to them."
He didn't know he was creating a permanent fixture of digital culture. He was just a teenager flexing a preppy outfit. But the internet is a strange, hungry beast that eats sincerity for breakfast. What started as a semi-cringe post by a Florida teen evolved into a visual shorthand for confidence, awkwardness, and the inevitable "flex."
The Anatomy of the Had to Do It to Them Pose
What makes this image work? Seriously. Think about it. It’s the symmetry. The sidewalk in the background creates a perfect vanishing point, framing Anselm right in the center. His stance is weirdly formal. It’s the "polite flex." Most people trying to show off an outfit go for a mirror selfie or a candid "walking away" shot. Not Lucky. He stood there, toes out, hands gripped, looking directly into your soul.
The phrase itself—had to do it to them—is older than the meme. It's a colloquialism often used in sports or fashion when someone outperforms the competition. But when paired with those salmon shorts? It became ironic gold.
People started photoshopping him into historical events. He appeared at the Last Supper. He was on the moon. He was behind the grassy knoll. The meme survived because it was incredibly easy to replicate and even easier to parody. You don't need high-level editing skills to put a guy in a polo shirt into a scene where he doesn't belong.
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Why the Internet Never Let Go
Most memes die in a week. They have a shelf life shorter than an open carton of milk. Yet, "had to do it to them" keeps coming back every few years like a ghost that refuses to leave the party.
It taps into a very specific brand of "cringe-cool." We’ve all felt like we were "doing it to them" when we were actually just wearing some slightly-too-expensive clothes in a suburban neighborhood. It’s relatable because it’s a little bit embarrassing. It captures that exact moment of youthful hubris right before you realize that, actually, nobody really cares about your boat shoes.
Interestingly, the location became a pilgrimage site. Fans tracked down the exact sidewalk in Tampa, Florida. People would fly in just to take the same photo, in the same spot, with their hands clasped in the same way. It’s basically the Abbey Road of the 21st century, just with more humidity and fewer Beatles.
The Dark Side of Meme Fame
It wasn't all just funny edits and Photoshop battles. Being the face of a global meme has consequences. In 2018, Anselm was arrested on drug-related charges. The internet, predictably, didn't miss a beat. They used the "had to do it to them" caption on his mugshot. It was a weird, meta moment where the meme swallowed the person.
This is the reality of modern fame. Once you become a template, you stop being a person to the public. You’re just a "character." Anselm tried to lean into it for a while, selling merch and engaging with fans, but the meme always had a life of its own that he couldn't quite control.
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The Evolution into High Art and Fashion
If you look at modern streetwear marketing, you can see the fingerprints of this aesthetic everywhere. That "ironic prep" look? That’s basically the Lucky Luciano starter pack. Brands like Rowing Blazers or Aimé Leon Dore play with these exact tropes. They take the classic, somewhat stuffy look of the American country club and flip it.
The meme also predicted the rise of "POV" humor. Long before TikTok made POV the dominant format of social media, "you know I had to do it to them" was a POV post. It invited the viewer into the moment. It was an address to an audience. It wasn't just a photo; it was a statement of intent.
The Cultural Impact of the Invisible Man
There’s a version of this meme where Lucky is photoshopped out, leaving only the sidewalk. It’s haunting. It’s like a digital ruins. When you see just the sidewalk and you still know exactly what is supposed to be there, that’s when you know a meme has reached legendary status. It’s part of our collective visual vocabulary now.
We see this with other memes too, like the "Distracted Boyfriend" or "Woman Yelling at a Cat." They become icons. They represent specific emotions. "Had to do it to them" represents the feeling of being "on one." It’s that surge of confidence when you think you’ve absolutely nailed the vibe, regardless of whether you actually have.
Lessons from the Sidewalk
What can we actually learn from a kid in salmon shorts?
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- Authenticity is an accident. You can’t manufacture a meme this big. If Lucky had tried to be funny, it probably would have flopped. It worked because he was being dead serious.
- Context is everything. The setting—the boring, suburban Florida background—is what made the outfit stand out. It felt out of place, and that’s what caught people’s eyes.
- The internet is a scavenger. It will take the most mundane parts of your life and turn them into a monument.
How to Use the Spirit of the Meme Today
Honestly, the best way to keep this energy alive isn't by just reposting the old photo. It's about capturing that same weird, unearned confidence in your own life.
If you're looking to create content that actually sticks, stop trying to be "perfect." The "had to do it to them" photo is technically a bad photo. The lighting is harsh. The pose is stiff. The outfit is controversial. But it has character.
In an era where everyone is using AI to polish their photos and write their captions, there is a massive vacuum for things that feel real, even if—especially if—they’re a little bit cringe. People crave the human element. They want to see someone standing on a sidewalk, feeling themselves, unaware that they're about to become a historical footnote.
Taking Action: The "Lucky" Strategy
If you want to apply the lessons of this meme to your own digital presence or brand, keep these points in mind:
- Commit to the bit. If you’re going to do something, go all in. The reason the meme worked is that Anselm didn't blink. He owned those shorts. Whatever your "salmon shorts" are, wear them with your head held high.
- Lean into the location. Stop looking for the most "Instagrammable" walls. Sometimes a regular old sidewalk provides the best contrast for what you're trying to say.
- Keep the caption short. "You know I had to do it to them" is a perfect sentence. It’s mysterious, it’s aggressive, and it’s slightly nonsensical. Don’t overexplain your jokes or your wins.
- Watch the trends, but don't chase them. This meme has lasted because it’s a foundational block, not a fleeting trend. Build your content on things that feel timeless, even if they’re weird.
The next time you’re feeling yourself, or you’ve just accomplished something small but satisfying, remember the kid from Tampa. Stand tall. Clasp your hands. And let the world know that you absolutely had to do it to them.