School pictures might make for some great trips down memory lane later in life, but the moment itself is not always favored by everyone. And yet, even if they don’t like it, most people choose to cooperate and get it over with.

However, this one boy named Arris is not like most people. The kid recently went viral online after his mom shared his very first school pictures, in which he made sure to look extremely displeased, making everyone tear up from laughter and sparking a meme trend. Scroll down to learn more!

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School pictures may not always be all that good, but some of them turn out to be hilarious gems that no one expected

Image credits: luckylibra999

A kid appeared to be very displeased about having to sit in front of the camera, refusing to take off his hoodie and showing his feelings through his frowning facial expression

A week ago, Keishaun Anderson, mom of 2-year-old Arris, was overcome with laughter after seeing her son’s first school pictures and decided to share these gems with the rest of the world online. Little did she know that only in a few days, they would be viewed over 17 million times.

In the pictures, Arris looked extremely displeased with being forced to pose before the camera. He made sure to put on a frown and even put up his hoodie, all the while holding his toy Spider-Man figurine for comfort.

This made for an interesting surprise when Arris’s mom, Keishaun, came to pick the boy up. “[The teacher] had a paper in her hand, and she just kind of held it close to her and started laughing,” the woman shared in an interview with Good Morning America. “And I was like, Wait, what’s wrong? And when she handed me the pictures, I was lost for words.”

Image credits: luckylibra999

The mom was surprised because just 30 minutes before the pictures were taken, the boy was in a completely different mood

Just like everyone else online, Arris’s mom found the pictures to be hilarious. But at the same time, she was a little puzzled about what led to this, since the boy is usually very outgoing and is always up for some pictures.

“He’s made that face around me hundreds of times, but he normally loves school, and he’s normally not really upset. So I was just so shocked that he did that, especially because just 30 minutes prior to that, we were in the car, and I took pictures of him, and he was smiling,” Keishaun said.

The woman also shared a picture she took before the school photo shoot. For the ones worried about the kid holding a coffee, she also added a comment, explaining that it was a caffeine-free frappe and there was nothing to worry about.

Image credits: luckylibra999

Image credits: luckylibra999

She theorized about what might have caused it, but in the end, she just found it funny and said that this would become a hilarious family memory that wouldn’t be easily shaken

Arris’s mom, who is also a hairstylist, theorized that the kid might’ve been affected by his recent haircut. The boy previously had a lot of hair that was getting difficult to manage, so he had it shortened. On some days, he wasn’t too happy about it, which might explain the hood.

Still, the funny part was that the school’s actual picture day was the day before, and the boy was wearing a nice outfit instead of a hoodie. Of course, that didn’t stop him from making faces that day either, and so the pictures had to be reshot, something that Keishaun knew nothing about.

But all in all, the woman was really happy with how things turned out. “I love the outcome of the pictures. It’s going to be a family memory for us,” Keishaun summarized. “These pictures are going to linger around forever. He’s not going to be able to live it down.”

Image credits: luckylibra999

Image credits: luckylibra999

When it comes to taking school pictures, people have mixed opinions over whether it is worth it. After all, it’s not all that often that you get gems like those pics that Arris got.

Parents are probably the most concerned about this tradition. Their children may or may not like this process, but at the end of the day, they spend only a few minutes in front of the camera and are free to go, receiving the pictures a lot later.

Image credits: keishaunangel

School pictures may be costly and not always of good quality, but they tend to be great physical keepsakes and can sometimes provide some unexpected gems like this

On the other hand, their caretakers are often left dealing with many other things that come with this, one of them being unreasonably high prices for photos that are often very mediocre. For example, in this question posted on Kidspot, a parent said despite the photos looking quite horrible, they were asked to pay $70 for the digital pictures alone, with the prints costing $90.

While this sum may not seem like a lot for some, it definitely is for others. Moreover, it’s important to remember that it’s not a one-time payment, and parents ‘have’ to pay it annually as long their child attends school. And if you have several children, then it’s tough luck because you have to pay the same amount for each of them separately.

Image credits: luckylibra999

Of course, you’re not obligated to buy these photos, especially if they’re of poor quality. However, some photographers really take pride in their work, and when these pictures are done well, they can have some real value.

For instance, this photographer who runs a blog, Say Yes To Jess, made some good arguments about actually getting these pictures. Sure, they might not always turn out all that well, but they’re inevitable, and a good photographer will always take time to reshoot them if needed. Children often want to have them, and the yearbook will be made regardless.

And yet, if they’re done well, they become amazing, high-quality physical keepsakes that consistently show how the child changed through the years. In this digital age, we can take pictures anytime and anywhere using our phones, but the value of those photos is much less, and they’re much easier to lose in the black hole of the phone gallery.

Image credits: luckylibra999

However, ultimately, it’s a decision for the parent and the child. If you and your child don’t like what you get, it may be worth getting a better photographer to take quality photos or not getting them altogether. But other times, these photoshoots may give you a lot more than you expected, as was the case with Arris and his school photos.

So don’t write them off just yet. Instead, keep an open mind and see what happens. Who knows, you might get some hilarious surprises.

What did you think about this story? What’s your experience with school pictures? Share it all in the comment section below!

The commenters were in tears from laughter, with some joining in to make additional jokes, taking it even further

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