I became a meme at nine – it was mortifying and I still don’t know how people got the photo

A GIRL has recalled how she was left mortified after becoming a meme aged nine without her knowledge. 

Sammi Smith, now aged 21, was propelled to social media fame back in 2015 when she was photographed next to pop star Rihanna.

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In the infamous snap, American Sammi can be seen beaming as Rihanna hugs her tightly for the photo, clutching a Snickers chocolate bar in her hand. 

The cruel caption alongside the meme read: “I met Rihanna & she took my Snickers away from me & said “u don’t need this fatty” I smiled but inside I was screaming.” 

Now, speaking in a TikTok video, Sammi – who was dubbed “Rihanna Snickers girl” – has broken her silence on the odd situation by posting a tongue in cheek video.

In it, she can be seen reacting as words reading, “a pic of me as a kid was turned into a very viral meme a few years ago & I still have no idea how whoever made it got the pic” flash up on the screen.

She also expanded upon the weird scenario further, giving the behind the scenes details of the photo and telling social media users what really happened.

In a more lengthy video, Sammi explained: “Ok, so, let’s talk about it. While this is funny, it’s not true. Which seems obvious to me, but a lot of people still ask me about it.

“That photo was taken in 2009, so I was nine, I’m 21 now. I was way too young to have social media and my mum didn’t have social media.

“So when this picture resurfaced back in 2015 – six years later – I have no clue where it came from, or where the story came from.”

In fact, what had actually happened was that Sammi had gifted Rihanna a Snickers bar, knowing it was her “favourite candy.”

She continued: “I vividly remember taking it out of the hotel minibar before the show because my mum said, ‘What are you doing?’”

“Because even though Rihanna didn’t say it, I obviously was not the type of kid that should just be eating Snickers bars. But she was super nice when I gave it to her.

“I really never thought about it again after that, she definitely never thought about it again after that – until this masterpiece surfaced on the internet…” 

Since, social media users have praised Sammi for sharing her side of the story and described her as a total “icon.”

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