17 Mugshots That Made People Internet Famous

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Awesome Jelly

A mugshot is a photographic portrait of a person who has just been arrested. The term “mug” is English slang for “face”, dating to the 18th century. The mugshot therefore is literally a snapshot or picture of your face. It is used primarily to allow for identification purposes by victims and investigators, but enterprising entrepreneurs in the US have started to monetize these public records by publishing them. The practice of getting mugshots began in the 1840s and was standardized in 1888, but recently it has become a great form of entertainment to look through mugshots, especially while browsing online.

Some mugshots have the tendency to go viral, for one reason or another, and have made those who were arrested way more famous than they had planned on becoming. Remember however, that a mugshot is not evidence of guilt, as they are usually taken before a person has gone to trial. All people, no matter how creepy (or hot) they may look in their mugshots, are innocent until proven guilty.

So here’s a rundown of 17 people whose mugshots went viral.