The "Confused math lady" meme features a pop-art style illustration of a woman with striking blonde and black striped hair, surrounded by floating mathematical equations. This image originates from a Brazilian telenovela called "Senhora do Destino," where the character Nazaré Tedesco, played by Renata Sorrah, is depicted with a look of intense concentration and confusion. The meme's rise in popularity is largely due to how it visually represents the universal struggle of trying to understand something baffling or overly complicated, with the math equations adding a humorous layer of irony to the mental gymnastics involved.