Why Was McKayla Maroney ‘Not Impressed’ At The 2012 London Olympics? The 'McKayla Is Not Impressed' Meme Explained

The U.S. gymnast McKayla Maroney had an excellent performance during the 2012 London Olympics, but she is most known online for her memorable facial expression after her silver-medal podium, becoming a social media sensation with the "McKayla Maroney is not impressed" meme.

Maroney's name and meme suddenly resurfaced online after an unfortunate confusion put her in the middle of a feud between a gymnast who was once unimpressed with Team USA and gold medalist Simone Biles.

If you're curious about why McKayla was not impressed during the 2012 London Olympics and how netizens mistook her name and meme amid an online feud, this article is for you!

Why Was McKayla Maroney ‘Not Impressed’ At The 2012 London Olympics?

McKayla Maroney did a marvelous and almost flawless vault during the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England, leading many to believe she would win the gold medal for the competition, including herself. However, after receiving a total score of 15.083, Maroney ended up taking the silver medal in the competition.

While on the winner's podium, Bryan Snyder of the international news agency Reuters took a photograph of Maroney making a scowling expression and a few days later, the single topic blog "McKayla Is Not Impressed" was launched on Tumblr to showcase photoshopped images of Maroney's glare set against historical or spectacular scenes in the background.

Marroney commented about her expression-turned-to-meme during an interview in June 2014 for Inside Gymnastics Magazine, saying "I remember doing the face for literally two seconds. And I remember thinking, did I just make a face? Because it’s natural. I do it all the time."

How Did 'McKayla Maroney is Not Impressed' Become A Meme?

The U.S. gymnast's facial expression was quickly the subject of Photoshop edits and parodies online, receiving an image macro template two days after the picture went viral. BuzzFeed compiled a series of AP and Reuters photographs from the Women's Vault Final event into an article titled "McKayla Maroney Falls, Lets Out Her Inner 'Mean Girl'."

Was McKayla Maroney 'Unimpressed' With Team USA's Gold Medal At The 2024 Paris Olympics?

McKayla Maroney's name was thrown in the middle of an online feud after "MyKayla Skinner," who is also an American gymnast, decided to throw some shade at the U.S. gymnast team, commenting in a June 2024 YouTube video that's since been deleted that “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be… A lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”

Some netizens confused McKayla's name with "MyKayla" and Maroney's meme suddenly resurfaced on X, making it way harder to understand who's who. E! News uploaded a video explaining the whole drama that ended with Skinner apologizing and then blocking Simone Biles from social media (seen below).

For the full history of "McKayla Maroney is not impressed," be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.