"Lenlen Loser" - A Meme That Helped Win an Election

Internet memes are more powerful than you think.

The “Lenlen Loser” meme, which originated on the Filipino side of the internet, is a fascinating cultural phenomenon. It became popular during the presidential campaign of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., when Filipinos from all over the world started recording videos of themselves placing an “L” sign on their foreheads and saying “Lenlen loser.” Each video would cut to another Filipino in a different location, also doing the “L” gesture and repeating the phrase: “Lenlen loser.”

Cringe? Yes. 

Sophisticated? Not in the slightest.

Idiotic? Very. 

Powerful magic? Profoundly.

This meme caught on rapidly, spreading widely among Filipinos globally and I dare argue, one of the things that caused Robredo to lose.

Let me explain.

Internet Memes are incredibly effective ways of communicating propaganda. They can shape perceptions, influence attitudes, and spread messages with remarkable speed because they by-pass the “rational mind” filter. Appearing as comedic or just plain “schizo”, we normally just look at these memes, give a few chuckles on how incredibly dumb it is, and continue scrolling down. We’ve doomed the meme to mental oblivion.

Or so, we think. We have in fact, fallen right into its jaws. Take the meme above as an example. It may look simple and funny but it presents a critique of foreign Fil-Ams visiting the country who present themselves as Filipino without living through the lived experience of the Filipino people from the mainland. It's stupid and yet it burrows into our unconscious and subtly adds onto our understanding of the discourse on Fil-Ams-as-Fiipinos.

The “Lenlen Loser” meme is a fascinating case study on the occult power  internet memes and how it can be used to encode ideas and transform consciousness.

The Lenlen Meme as a Sigil

We understand the world is largely influenced by the ideas and symbols communicated to us through various channels. Language in itself is a system of symbols by which humans encode meaning. A symbol is a “… a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.” (Google Dictionary). 

Words, things, and images are the best example of symbols. When people see symbols, a series of mental connections is made which inform subsequent thought, feeling, and action. This happens unconsciously. Take for example, an American looking at the American Flag. By just looking at the flag, an American may start feeling various emotions - patriotism, pride, frustration, nostalgia  - all sorts of feelings associated with the idea of America as represented by this flag. This happens subconsciously and with time and frequency (i.e. seeing this flag everywhere) that said American will start acting in a given way according to the message that that given symbol is encoding.

The concept of the “meme” itself was first introduced by Richard Dawkins, who suggested that cultural information, much like genetic traits, can be transmitted across generations. While biological traits are passed down through genes, cultural elements—such as memes—are transmitted horizontally, from one person to another, through symbols and communication. This allows for cultural ideas to replicate and adapt in powerful ways that are not limited by biological constraints.

A sigil is a magical version of a symbol. It is encoding desire in a symbolic format that when it is heard or seen, it bypasses the "rational filters" of the mind. It is accepted by the mind without being combated by the rational mind. The idea buries itself in an viewer or listener's subconscious and will slowly manifest itself in the target's action. It is basically a mind-virus transmitted through sight or sound.

The "Lenlen Loser" meme has two components of an effective sigil: it has a visual and an acoustic component. Through the medium of a video and a mudra (a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose which communicates magical potency)

Shaking the hand with an "L" gesture twice and then putting that hand gesture "L" onto one's forehead transmits the message through sight. 

Saying "Lenlen Loser" with it amplifies the effect while looking at the sigil. The words themselves serve as a kind of mantra or an acoustic sigil which like the image, burrows itself into the subconscious. 

Len Len Loser, a Hypersigil

If a sigil is a compact, static symbol encoding a specific desire, a hypersigil is something way bigger, a living, breathing “mind-virus” that evolves and gains strength as more people feed it with their energy and attention. The concept of the hypersigil was popularized by Grant Morrison, an occultist and comic book writer, who described a hypersigil as an ongoing “work of art” that influences reality by amplifying the collective intent of those who interact with it. 

Lenlen Loser gains power the more a group of people take part in it. Unlike a regular sigil, which is often crafted and activated by a single person, a hypersigil pulls from the emotions and actions of an entire group: the group here being supporters of Duterte and Marcos who spread a narrative of Leni Robredo being “lugaw” (slang for unintelligent and scatter-brained, i.e porridge-brained) and a loser.

In the case of “Lenlen Loser,” the meme morphed from a goofy gesture into a full-blown ritual (even unintended), one that Filipinos around the world performed, took part in, and witnessed online. As people started to jump the bandwagon, and the more it spread, the stronger it grew; embedding itself into the cultural landscape as a kind of collective spell.

With each share, comment, and reenactment of the “L” gesture, the meme transformed into a force that went beyond simple political mockery and peddled disinformation. It turned into a social ritual, a shared expression of frustration and resistance. And as it spread, the meme didn’t just “comment” on Robredo’s campaign; it actually shifted people’s subconscious perceptions, adding weight to the sense of her inevitable defeat. Why vote a loser? 

This is the power of a hypersigil. It’s not a “one-time-use” spell like a sigil; it’s a sustained, interactive experience that operates like a digital ritual, growing more potent with every person it pulls in. And with “Lenlen Loser,” we see how a simple, cringey meme could go on to shape public perception and consciousness at a massive scale—becoming a modern form of magic.

Conclusion

“Lenlen Loser” highlights the frustration of many Filipinos with the presidential candidate Leni Robredo. Personally, I view Robredo as one of the best presidential candidates the Philippines has had. However, she faced significant challenges in her campaign against Marcos Jr., who skillfully weaponized communication and memes, turning them into a form of “magical warfare.”

If magic is thought of as the art and science of influencing consciousness in accordance with will, then in this sense, memetic warfare is incredibly effective. The Uniteam influence and message far beyond traditional campaign methods. Unlike Robredo, whose campaign focused on feel-good Filipino values, Marcos’ team perfected an offensive, targeted meme strategy that tapped into cultural discontent. This approach was also seen in the communication style of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who similarly used memetic strategies to connect with and mobilize his supporters.