Elon Musk promotes fatphobia? World’s richest man shares meme on DOGE, divides internet

Elon Musk shared a meme on X to express DOGE's efficiency. However, some social media users have labelled it “fatphobic.”

Elon Musk is well-known for his love of sharing memes on X to express his opinions on different topics. His recent one on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) - a newly formed agency under Donald Trump’s administration headed by the billionaire himself - has been labelled as “fatphobic” by some social media users. Others, however, have defended the meme, saying it “depicts the truth.”

Elon Musk shared this meme on X. (File Photo, Instagram/@skscartoon)

The meme, a cartoon strip, was originally posted in 2024 on an Instagram page called SKS Cartoon. Musk re-shared the meme a day ago on X without a caption.

What does the meme show?

The cartoon strip is divided into three parts. The first shows an overweight woman with the X logo on her T-shirt standing beside a character resembling Musk. The next strip shows the woman returning but with a drastic physical change that portrays her as slim.

The third strip follows the pattern of the first one and shows a man sitting on a chair, with the word “Federal Government” written on his T-shirt. Musk’s character is seen standing beside him, holding a suitcase with the words “DOGE” on it.

Take a look at the meme here:

Meme divides the internet:

While some found the meme amusing and expressed their “faith” in Elon Musk that he would change things for the better, others were not convinced. A few also accused him of being a misogynist and fatphobic.

An individual wrote, “Do you have something against fat women?” Another asked, “Trying to understand this cartoon. Is it: Overweight lady is fired for being overweight and therefore must be inefficient? Slim lady is hired because she is slim and therefore must be efficient? Slim lady and Musk don't like overweight guy for being overweight?” A third commented, “Thicker women and women with curves can do the job just as good as the one almond a day girl.”