What Does 'I Pick Clarke' Mean? the Definitive Guide to the Slang, Origin, and Use
By Sarah Jenkins
To understand the meme, one must look at The 100, which aired on The CW from March 19, 2014, to September 30, 2020, spanning 7 seasons and 100 episodes. The series followed juvenile delinquents sent to an irradiated Earth to determine whether the planet was habitable. Clarke Griffin immediately emerged as the group's de facto medical officer and pragmatic tactician.
Early in the series, Clarke found herself trapped in an emotionally fraught love triangle with scavenger Finn Collins (Thomas McDonell) and his childhood sweetheart, zero-gravity mechanic Raven Reyes (Lindsey Morgan). When romantic loyalties fractured under the weight of nuclear survival, narrative lines like "I pick Clarke" crystallized Finn's ultimate romantic betrayal of Raven. That romantic friction galvanized one of the most volatile fandoms of the 2010s.
Viewers split into entrenched factions. "Bellarke" loyalists demanded Clarke pair with co-leader Bellamy Blake (Bob Morley), while "Clexa" supporters rallied behind Clarke's romance with Grounder commander Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey). Within these community battlegrounds, picking Clarke was not merely a romantic endorsement. It meant endorsing a leader who pulled the lever at Mount Weather, committed moral atrocities to save her people, and prioritized raw utility over idealism. When the phrase resurfaced years later on TikTok, that complex emotional baggage accompanied it.
Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.
