Zendaya’s ‘Big Hat Theory’ Meme, Explained

Zendaya arrives for the 2025 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images Zendaya’s striking all-white suit and hat at the 2025 Met Gala gave new life to a bizarre TikTok meme known as the “ Zendaya Big Hat Theory.” Zendaya is something of a style icon, known for her bold, distinctive outfits, but TikTokers reckon that the Dune star is hiding an unfathomable secret inside her oversized hat. What Is The ‘Zendaya Big Hat Theory’? A week ago, TikTok birthed a strange meme, proposing that the big hat that Zendaya wore back in 2014 during the Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party contained something unnatural. At the time, Zendaya’s massively oversized Emporio Armani hat was a fun, quirky fashion choice, but TikToker @thesnakesbloxx revitalized the viral moment to create a satirical conspiracy theory for 2025. The TikToker edited a video of Zendaya refusing to name her favorite Beyoncé song, adding eerie background music and cutting to increasingly low-resolution images of the star wearing her big black hat. There are plenty of weird conspiracies on TikTok about Beyoncé, both satirical and sincere, and the Zendaya big hat meme is a parody of an unhinged conspiracy theory. Amusingly, the original TikTok makes no claims about the hat—it just created an unsettling vibe, and the internet ran with it. @thesnakesbloxx even followed up the viral video with an “explanation” that deliberately explains nothing, but fleshes out the theory by inserting Tom Holland into the mix. Various spin-off videos propose that Zendaya’s hat is cursed or blessed, and some even suggest that the hat actually contains Tom Holland, and is merely a vessel to transport him to events where he didn’t receive an invite. Most of the videos, however, are just about creating a mood. Why Are TikTokers Making Videos About Zendaya’s Hat? The last few years has seen conspiracy culture become increasingly normalized online, and superstitious narratives about Hollywood celebrities have flourished—TikTok and X are filled with commentators throwing out accusations of Satanism, witchcraft and magic rituals, without any curiosity toward their historical context. Influencers who actually understand these topics are exceedingly rare—most of this stuff is based on vibes, with spooky performances, sets and costumes providing enough material to fuel bizarre conspiracies. Hence, the “mystery” of Zendaya’s big, black hat is meant to satirize these sprawling, often incomprehensible narratives. There is no solid answer to the mystery—the big hat is just a jumping off point for creators to speculate, tell stories and create memes. Of course, with Zendaya wearing a big white hat to the Met Gala, TikTokers have been given new material, and they quickly set to work creating fresh content. Perhaps Zendaya will play into the meme, and bring the big hat back for her next big event. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes TikTok’s ‘Thank You, Beyoncé’ Meme, Explained By Dani Di Placido Forbes Doechii’s ‘Denial Is A River’ Floods The Internet With Memes By Dani Di Placido Forbes How ‘JD Vance Edit’ Memes Broke The Internet By Dani Di Placido Forbes The Bittersweet Ending Of ‘Sinners,’ Explained By Dani Di Placido Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2025/05/06/zendayas-big-hat-theory-returns-for-the-2025-met-gala/