A British tabloid slapped a wig on a head of lettuce and launched a contest to see who would last longer — Truss or the leafy vegetable. The lettuce prevailed.
byRhea Nayyar
Support Independent Arts Journalism
As an independent publication, we rely on readers like you to fund our journalism and keep our reporting and criticism free and accessible to all. If you value our coverage and want to support more of it, consider becoming a member today.
BECOME A MEMBER
![The Best Memes About the Liz Truss v. Lettuce Smackdown (2) The Best Memes About the Liz Truss v. Lettuce Smackdown (2)](https://i0.wp.com/i0.wp.com/hyperallergic-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2022/10/lettuce-hq.jpg?resize=780%2C484&quality=95&ssl=1)
This morning, British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced her resignation after hardly six weeks on the job. Several prominent members of the Conservative party were fiercely critical of Truss during her campaign for premiership, especially former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, who stated that her economic policies indicated that she was “on holiday from reality” and “wanted to have her cake and eat it, too.”
The British tabloid Daily Star joined in on the criticism days before Truss took office by purchasing a head of lettuce, slapping a wig on it, and making a hilarious competition via YouTube livestream to see who would “expire” faster — Truss or the leafy green vegetable. Obviously, the lettuce was victorious as Truss resigned at the 44-day mark. And just like when she was elected, the memes have been pouring in from all corners of the Internet.
Our lettuce wins as Liz Truss resigns! https://t.co/dkmEDw06o9
— Daily Star Breaking News (@StarBreaksNews) October 20, 2022
Thousands of Twitter users have brushed up on their rudimentary Photoshop skills to make memes commenting on the hilarity of a head of lettuce’s newfound power over the head of government.
"This is not an office I have sought, or ever expected to hold, but I am ready to answer the nation's call in this moment of crisis" pic.twitter.com/qDOVQMC4wQ
— Rob Kenny (@Rob_Kenny_) October 20, 2022
This iceberg lettuce-themed meme raises the question: Would the lettuce outlast one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s terrible age-gap relationships?
What's the similarity between Liz Truss and The Titanic? – they were both sunk by an Iceberg! #lettuceWatch pic.twitter.com/pFd2r4S7lN
— Jacki Jam (@Jacki_Jam) October 20, 2022
Thursday morning smackdown, anyone?
I think we can all agree this has been a marvellous win for the lettuce #LizTruss #lettuceWatch #Lettuce pic.twitter.com/rE17P9yvC8
— FPL Moose (@FPLMoose) October 20, 2022
Despite Truss having been constantly read for filth, some people have actually lauded Truss’s “sashay away” as an honest, graceful move even though she didn’t exactly lip-sync for her life.
— Bally Singh (@putasinghonit) October 20, 2022Lettuce, shantay you stay.
Liz Truss. You will always have these 45 days of history and chaos. Thank you for the comedy. Sashay, away. pic.twitter.com/aE2qFe86pl
I mean … The proof is in the pudding, as demonstrated below.
Virgin Liz Truss vs. Chad Lettuce pic.twitter.com/8wPSajIoFK
— Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) October 20, 2022
The lettuce may be six weeks old now, but it hasn’t gone soft like the exes in our collective DMs.
Hey, just heard that Liz Truss resigned as prime minister. I wish you would trusst me again because our relationship used to be so prime. She couldn't outlast the lettuce but why don't you let-us have another chance? Anyway you don't have to respond, hope you're good. pic.twitter.com/4fS9aAWb6L
— claire trầnsylvania 🧛🏻♀️ (@clairevtran) October 20, 2022
Normally, I side-eye corporate meme-posting but I can cut them some slack today.
— @LidlGB (@LidlGB) October 20, 2022Lettuce at 58p – a good buy
Liz Truss at Number 10 – a goodbye
And last but not least, this personified lettuce on the runway is exactly the type of content I was looking for.
The Daily Star lettuce walking in for her 44 days at number 10
— Dom McGovern (@mcgoverndominic) October 20, 2022
pic.twitter.com/gYxqWETo6F
Moral of the story: Lettuce remember to be mindful of whom we Truss’t to lead our nation.
Rhea Nayyar
Rhea Nayyar (she/her) is a New York-based teaching artist who is passionate about elevating minority perspectives within the academic and editorial spheres of the art world. Rhea received her BFA in Visual...More by Rhea Nayyar
- Two More People Accuse Kehinde Wiley of Sexual Assault
- 10 Exhibitions to Visit in Washington, DC, This Summer
- Animal Rights Activists Target New King Charles Portrait
- Two Pioneering Photographers’ Versions of Femininity
- The Unclassifiable Brilliance of Joanne Greenbaum
The Latest
Animal Rights Activists Target New King Charles Portrait
The action was in protest of allegations against the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, where King Charles III is a patron.
by Rhea Nayyar
Trans Artist on Parole After 30 Years in Men’s Prison
While incarcerated, Jamie Diaz has made waves through her artworks depicting lived experiences and imagined realities.
by Rhea Nayyar
Sponsored
Mineo Mizuno Explores Earth’s Fragile Ecosystem in New Sculpture at The Huntington
Crafted from fallen timber the artist gathered in the Sierra Nevada forests, this site-specific work is set in the botanical gardens at the Los Angeles institution.
Holly Hughes’s Politics of Pleasure
The veteran performance artist spoke with Hyperallergic about camp, queerness, anti-p*rn discourse, and nurturing feminist community across generations.
by Elaine Velie
Phoebe Helander Paints Objects in Time
Helander removes her art from the frozen time in which still life paintings exist and reminds us that the moment recreated has already come and gone.
by John Yau
Sponsored
Announcing the 2024 McKnight Visual Artist Fellows
Designed to support mid-career Minnesota artists, fellows each recieve a $25,000 stipend, professional development, a residency, and more.
Two Pioneering Photographers’ Versions of Femininity
A joint exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery makes clear the force of Francesca Woodman’s authorial voice and Julia Margaret Cameron’s radicality.
by Natalie Haddad
Rosana Paulino Threads Through Painful Histories
The Brazilian artist weaves together archives, family albums, and records of Black suffering to suture a history of Amefricanas.
by Valentina Di Liscia
Sponsored
Scrimshaw Takes Over the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Summer Exhibitions
The Wider World & Scrimshaw and Shinneco*ck artist Courtney M. Leonard’s BREACH: Logbook 24 | SCRIMSHAW explore sites of encounter and exchange across the Pacific and Arctic Oceans.
Paul Wong Is Queering Chinatown
The artist, curator, and organizer opens up and blurs the boundaries between categories, experimenting with new spaces and methods of moving through the world.
by Lisa Yin Zhang
The Unclassifiable Brilliance of Joanne Greenbaum
Fiercely independent, the artist belongs to no art group, movement, or style.
by John Yau