4 min read
THE TEXT ON the Tik Tok videos always starts with: “The lion does not concern himself with…” followed, usually, by something that probably should concern someone.
Since the meme got popular in 2022, it’s resurfaced a few times and evolved from chest-thumpy expressions of masculinity, to airing petty grievances and other bizarre jokes. And now, the lion is making the rounds again—but this time as a covert(ish) way to talk about long COVID symptoms.
In one post, user @Stavalopulos wrote, “The lion does not concern himself with the cough he’s had since COVID.”
“The lion does not concern himself with his noticeable memory loss, brain fog, and slight cognitive decline,” wrote @MaybeMackenzie in another post.
Are young guys really downsizing medical concerns or is it just a coded way to be vulnerable without judgment? Because the lion may not be concerned—but mental health experts sorta are.
First, What’s With the Lion?
If the phrase sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone. The phrase is a reference to the first season of Game of Thrones, when Lord Tywin Lannister tells his son, “The lion does not concern himself with the opinions of a sheep,” while talking about the importance of not worrying about what others think.
The meme then morphed to guys expressing shortcomings like screen addiction or not getting a driver’s license. It’s also been used—seriously or not—to reject social norms such as tipping and wearing deodorant.
Linguist Adam Aleksic broke down the current use of the lion meme in his TikTok channel, Etymology Nerd. In the video, he says the lion meme has taken off in popularity because it juxtaposes authenticity within the sigma grindset-style meme, creating “a a sense of dissonance that allows the lion to cloak himself inside behind an additional veil of satire.”
“The lion knows that speaking in the third-person effectively detaches the self, making it acceptable to express an otherwise cringe idea,” Aleksic explains in the video.
Posting like this could be seen as a coded way to talk about concerns without putting yourself out there too much, says Aaron P. Brinen, PsyD, assistant professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. This meme allows people to joke around while still opening up about their personal struggles, he says.
“This message is a reaction to the deep fear they harbor about the future,” says John E. Mayer, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of Family Fit: Find Your Balance in Life. “Think of it as affirmation quality. In other words, ‘I know we are all afraid, but remember you have the strengths and resources to overcome anything.’”
OK, But Is It Really That Deep?
While there’s nothing bad about making jokes online, Brinen says there could be an issue if someone is using the lion meme as an avoidance strategy. With how the meme is worded, he says it’s possible that people are brushing off long COVID symptoms or indicating that they’re genuinely less inclined to seek out proper treatment.
“When we don’t face these things and think about them, we’re not processing it or coming up with a plan,” Brinen explains. “Then there’s also the messaging that makes people with brain fog out to be dramatic.” And it could influence people watching these videos to trivialize their own symptoms.
“The lion has seen this post quite a few times and is worried about the fact that other lions feel similar,” reads one comment on @MaybeMackenzie’s post.
“With memes and videos, there’s usually an honest version and then the joke on yourself,” says Thea Gallagher, PsyD, clinical associate professor of psychology at NYU Langone Health. “People are trying not to concern themselves with the things that may bring them down and interfere with their life, but there can be a serious side of this.”
Ultimately, the impact depends on who is viewing it, says Gallagher. “We do have the opportunity to push ourselves, but it should be within reason. All of us would love to say, ‘I don’t concern myself with health concerns,’ but it’s not that simple.”
And it could be a slippery slope, according to Brinen. “It feels like a very short walk from a meme that’s meant to help me feel better about what’s going on to getting back to the day where men don’t care about their health and die of very preventable diseases.”
Long COVID has a wide range of symptoms, including ‘invisible’ symptoms, such as extreme fatigue and brain fog. If you have or suspect to have long COVID, contact your doctor for proper medical guidance and treatment.
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the associate health & fitness for Men’s Health and has previously written for CNN, Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic before joining the brand. When she’s not working, she’s doing circus arts or working towards the perfect pull-up.
