It's the photo that spawned a thousand memes.

From Dolly Parton to the dorky third cousin who friended you on Facebook, it would seem every man and his dog has jumped on the "distracted boyfriend" bandwagon at one time or another.

But could the widely shared stock image, which shows a man checking out another woman while out with his girlfriend, have been inspired in its turn by this 1950s photo?

The image — which shows a woman in uniform looking back at a sergeant while a sailor in naval garb ushers her away — was first published in a 1950 edition of the US Marine Corps' in-house magazine Leatherneck.

The original "distracted boyfriend" meme, born out of a stock photo, went viral on the internet. ( Supplied )

For those well versed in their US military history, it's believed to be a tongue-in-cheek jab, implying women are more interested in marines than in Navy sailors — a point Reddit users have been quick to make:

"She's not wrong, nothing sharper than a well dressed Marine" — Deere John "Marines attract all the girls" — HanFett44 "Semper Fi... I like that guy" — SleepyforPresident

But is it really the inspiration for the distracted boyfriend photo?

Nothing on the internet is ever really 'new'

The short answer is: it's almost impossible to unequivocally say.

It's not the first time people have speculated that the meme borrows from an older image, and it's unlikely it will be the last.

The theory was first raised in June 2018, when still photographs purporting to be from a 1920s Charlie Chaplin film emerged on social media.

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The images, which show Chaplin looking back at a woman while his less-than-impressed wife glares at him, sparked similar headlines around the globe: "Charlie Chaplin was the original distracted boyfriend".

On the surface, there's merit to that theory. Adding to its popularity, Chaplin had been involved in a series of romantic scandals in his own personal life — leaving two different wives for other women.

However, holes began to emerge when it was revealed that the photo had been flipped to better match up with the "distracted boyfriend" meme.

More importantly, however, there was simply never any proof that the creators of the original stock photo — who could never have anticipated the seemingly innocuous image becoming a viral sensation — ever watched the silent film, let alone used it as a point of reference.

As mythbusting website Snopes put it: "Charlie Chaplin didn't invent the 'distracted boyfriend' meme, but he certainly qualifies to be its poster child".

It's not the first time the meme has been accused of taking inspiration from an older image. ( Supplied: Imgur )

Since then, other photos have come out of the woodwork.

A 1777 print, dubbed The Contest between the Spirit and the Flesh, which shows a man distracted by a prostitute on his way to church while his wife pulls him away, among them.

However, as many online have been quick to point out, nothing on the internet is ever really "new" and "we always come around full circle".

"Imitating the master of old. They did memes before it was cool, we're rediscovering what has already been done but better," Reddit user Outarel wrote.

"As technology progresses, memes will ascend humanity and our AI overlords will make the ultimate form with their abstract brains."

Until then, sit back and enjoy the memes.