{"slug":"hold-fart","name":"Hold Fart","url":"/templates/hold-fart.jpg","w":599,"h":804,"top":"WHEN YOU'RE TRYING NOT TO","bottom":"","description":"A kid in a classroom straining with every fiber of his being. Face red, veins visible, jaw clenched. For any moment where you are physically fighting to hold something back.","keywords":"hold fart meme, straining kid meme, holding it in meme, trying not to meme, restraining yourself meme, classroom strain meme","year":2013,"origin":"A photo of a teenage boy sitting at a school desk, face red and contorted with effort, clearly straining to hold something in. A girl sits next to him, completely oblivious. A whiteboard is visible behind them. The format took off as a reaction image for any situation where someone is physically struggling not to say, do, or release something. The classroom setting adds the pressure of a public audience. For a different \"holding back\" format, see Distracted Boyfriend (fighting the urge to look). For someone who has given up restraint entirely, see So I Started Blasting (no filter at all).","format":"classic","howToMake":["The kid is already at maximum strain. Label what he is desperately trying to hold back","Top text sets up the restraint scenario. Bottom text can name what is about to escape or be left blank for the image to carry","The photo is portrait orientation with the strain face as the focal point. Text frames nicely above and below his head","White Impact text with dark outlines reads well against the classroom background","Save the struggle as a PNG or share it whenever you are one second away from losing composure"],"exampleCaptions":["WHEN SOMEONE IS WRONG IN A MEETING","AND YOU'RE TRYING NOT TO CORRECT THEM"],"exampleAltText":"Hold Fart meme about trying not to correct someone who is wrong in a meeting","exampleRefreshDate":"2026-04-25","seo":{"aliases":["Straining Kid Meme","Holding It In Meme","Classroom Strain Meme","Trying Not To Laugh Meme","Red Face Kid Meme"],"description":"A teenage boy sits at a school desk, his entire face clenched in a superhuman effort of restraint. His skin is flushed red, veins are visible on his forehead and neck, his jaw is locked shut, and his eyes are squeezed nearly closed. Next to him, a girl sits calmly, completely unaware of the internal war being fought inches from her. A whiteboard fills the background. The composition captures one specific human experience: the moment where something absolutely must not escape, and every muscle is deployed to prevent it.","definition":"A kid in a classroom straining with visible effort to hold something back. Face red, veins popping, jaw clenched. The format labels whatever the user is desperately trying not to say, do, laugh at, or release.","useCases":[{"category":"Meeting Restraint","examples":["WHEN SOMEONE IS CONFIDENTLY WRONG / AND YOUR BOSS IS NODDING ALONG","WHEN THE MEETING COULD HAVE BEEN AN EMAIL / AND SOMEONE ASKS ANOTHER QUESTION","WHEN YOUR COWORKER TAKES CREDIT FOR YOUR IDEA / AND YOU'RE TRYING TO STAY PROFESSIONAL","WHEN THE PRESENTATION HAS A TYPO / AND NOBODY ELSE NOTICED"]},{"category":"Not Laughing","examples":["WHEN SOMEONE TRIPS IN PUBLIC / AND YOU'RE TRYING TO BE CONCERNED NOT AMUSED","WHEN YOUR FRIEND MAKES A JOKE AT A FUNERAL / AND IT'S ACTUALLY FUNNY","WHEN THE TEACHER MISPRONOUNCES SOMETHING / AND YOUR FRIEND LOOKS AT YOU","WHEN SOMEONE'S AUTOCORRECT SENDS SOMETHING INAPPROPRIATE / IN THE GROUP CHAT"]},{"category":"Not Saying \"I Told You So\"","examples":["WHEN THEY IGNORED YOUR ADVICE / AND IT WENT EXACTLY HOW YOU SAID IT WOULD","WHEN THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T NEED THE MAP / AND NOW THEY'RE LOST","WHEN THEY SAID THE PROJECT WAS EASY / AND NOW IT'S ON FIRE","WHEN THEY SAID THEY'D BE FINE WITHOUT STUDYING / AND THEY GOT A 42"]},{"category":"Holding Back Opinions","examples":["WHEN SOMEONE SAYS THEIR FAVORITE MOVIE IS YOUR MOST HATED MOVIE / AND THEY'RE YOUR DATE","WHEN SOMEONE SAYS \"I DON'T BELIEVE IN SCIENCE\" / AT THANKSGIVING DINNER","WHEN SOMEONE PRONOUNCES \"ESPRESSO\" AS \"EXPRESSO\" / FOR THE THIRD TIME"]},{"category":"Physical Restraint","examples":["WHEN THE ELEVATOR IS SILENT / AND YOUR STOMACH DECIDES TO GROWL","WHEN YOU HAVE TO SNEEZE DURING A QUIET EXAM / AND THE ROOM IS DEAD SILENT","WHEN THE YAWN IS COMING / DURING YOUR BOSS'S MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH"]},{"category":"Secret Keeping","examples":["WHEN YOU KNOW THE SURPRISE / AND THEY KEEP GUESSING WRONG","WHEN YOUR FRIEND IS ABOUT TO GET PRANKED / AND YOU PROMISED NOT TO WARN THEM","WHEN YOU HAVE GOSSIP / AND THE PERSON IT'S ABOUT IS STANDING RIGHT THERE"]}]}}