How Jennifer Garner became the perfect 'mum thought' meme

She stunned in a cobalt blue sleeveless Versace gown at the Academy Awards on Sunday night, but it wasn't Jennifer Garner's dress that was the main focus of attention at the glitzy award ceremony in Los Angeles.

The actress, 45, sent social media into meltdown when cameras caught her pulling a bewildered facial expression in what appeared to be an epiphany moment, the Daily Mail reports.

The American beauty, who was sitting beside actor Chris Messina, was applauding with the rest of the crowd when she suddenly stopped and her facial expression transitioned to one of pure shock.

And while no-one knows why the star wore such a startled expression, viewers took to Twitter in their droves to guess what the Pearl Harbor star was thinking.

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One wrote: "Jennifer Garner just realised she forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer". Some fans joked she had left the straighteners on, while others suggested that she came to the realisation that "Michael Keaton was the best Batman."

One fan wrote: "What realisation did Jennifer Garner just come to?", and the internet didn't hesitate to answer:

Jennifer has taken the meme crown from Nicole Kidman, who stole the show at the Oscars last year when eagle-eyed viewers caught the actress clapping in a somewhat unusual manner.

The 50-year-old later explained her "seal clap" was to protect her expensive rings.

"It was really difficult because I had a huge ring on that was not my own but was absolutely gorgeous," Kidman told Australian radio station Kiss FM.

"And I was terrified of damaging it."

This article was first published on Daily Mail and is republished here with permission.