Peter Dutton and the case of the unflattering photo.

"Peter Dutton photo goes global" is not necessarily a headline we'd expect out of Australian politics but this week, the immigration minister became a trending topic when a poorly lit photo met the internet before his press secretary had time to stop it. Journalist Stephanie Peatling tweeted the photo, taken by Alex Ellinghausen, and gave it the simple caption of "Eek". At this point, it could've just been another unattractive photo on the internet that would soon be forgotten, but for the actions of Dutton's media team. They requested Peatling remove the photo, claiming it to be "unflattering". Peatling agreed, on the condition that she could state why the photo was no longer on her twitter feed. The internet collectively saw an opportunity, and a meme was born.

It started with a tweet raising the idea that perhaps Dutton's staff don't understand how the internet works...

Peter Dutton wants this photo deleted, so please delete it ASAP!
I'll just pin it here so you know which one it is. pic.twitter.com/n05I34bD2o

— Dave Donovan (@davrosz) May 3, 2016

And then, we descended into pop culture villains with this Hannibal Lecter reference.

Please stop sharing this image of Peter Dutton. #dutton pic.twitter.com/Su2Q4Yalve

— timdunlop (@timdunlop) May 3, 2016

Followed by Darth Malgus...

Please stop sharing this photo of Peter Dutton. He doesn't like it. pic.twitter.com/aJAyNf58f1

— David C. Simon (@theleast) May 3, 2016

And Dracula, Stephen King's Pennywise, and the "monster under the bed" trope.

Reddit has its faults, but /r/photoshopbattle went to town on Dutton last night pic.twitter.com/0WkrgowdBc

— Special Agent Scully (@miss_shiny) May 3, 2016

Queen made an iconic appearance.

Peter Dutton #auspol pic.twitter.com/wqVBVWSJqO

— Olivia Copse (@OliviaCopse) May 3, 2016

Our Dutton coverage ends with a meta-meme. In 2013, Beyonce's publicist requested that Buzzfeed remove some "unflattering" photos from her Superbowl half-time performance. Buzzfeed responded by doubling down, starting a new thread with the photos featured. This edit adds one unwanted photo to another, whilst creating something comically absurd but distinctly unique to the internet.

The real picture Dutton didn't want you to see. pic.twitter.com/ASpxtGDXQr

— James Hutchinson (@j_hutch) May 3, 2016

Politics is fertile ground for content. Memes can sit in the cross-section of visual media and satire, allowing for something that is easily accessible, capable of making a point and, in many cases, hilarious. We'll be looking at a few other instances of political memes over the next few weeks so if making fun of politicians sounds like your idea of a good time, be sure to follow us on Twitter - we're @MemeMachineMQ.