This post is a little long... that's what she said.
Especially because it's about a little joke... that's what she said.
Not that it's small per se... that's what she said.
But that its short... that's what she said.
I mean, its only four words... that's what she said.
but it packs a wallop.... that's what she said.
And a big one... do I even have to say it?
"That's what she said" is certainly an interesting cultural phenomenon. Those four little words are just so flexible (that's what she said) that they can be dropped in to add a little comic spice in almost any situation. In fact, the number one Urban Dictionary definition of "that's what she said" is "the most versatile joke on Earth."
In recent memory, this joke script--which I argue is the joke cycle of our contemporary moment just as lightbulb jokes, elephant jokes, and JAP (Jewish American Princess) jokes were in their moments--has been popularized by the character Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) of The Office (see video below for a few, dozen, examples).
A quick search of YouTube or Google will drum up any number of these Michael Scott compilations, there's even an Office fan blog created specifically for users to relive jokes from the show and post new jokes and stories as they occur to them. While, The Office is no doubt responsible for the current plague of "that's what she said" jokes, Know your meme, fact checking fact checkers that they are, point out that the joke actually appears in Wayne's World (1992... "No Stairway? Denied").
There's little reason for mentioning the Wayne's World other than to point out that we are in fact, "not worthy" and that we should all have a little more Wayne's World in our lives (that's what... okay I won't do it). On a more serious note, there may be something worth exploring in terms of why the script didn't catch on in the early 1990s and why it's gone viral recently (I mean let's be honest, you're probably infected). That however, is an exploration for another day, this post is just an introduction to the cultural treasure trove that lies beneath "what she said."
In terms of the joke's usage, it is a pretty straightforward script. Add those four simple words to anything--and I mean anything--and bada bing you have a joke. It really shouldn't be that easy, but it seems to be. Of course, like all comedy, timing is everything. A well timed "that's what she said" will no doubt go over better than the obviously hyperbolized, repetitive, exaggerated, predictable, heavy-handed, annoying, overstated array of jokes that I offered at the beginning of this post, but I digress.
Among the more interesting aspects of this trite innuendo of a joke script is the fact that it can be employed with mere insinuation. Unlike a lightbulb joke that requires a set-up and punchline to reach full effect, "that's what she said" packs its punch as a tagline inserted into otherwise unscripted material without the knowing consent of that previously innocent material. As an example (because you need more at this point), the video below offers a series of examples of pre-"that's what she said" moments. The montage of clips provides the set-ups and you, the viewer, insert the punchline which you know to be "that's what she said" based on the title--"The ultimate that's what she said news montage."
In nearly every instance of the joke script the punchline of the joke relies on the sexualization of previously non-sexual material. "That's what she said" is, quite frankly, discursive rape. Don't believe me? Let's go a little deeper (if you went there at this point, you should probably seek professional help).
Think about how you might defend making a "that's what she said" joke:
Well, that comment/person was really asking for it...
or maybe,
You really wanted me to do that/say that...
or maybe,
You thought it was good/funny/etc....
Still not convinced? Consider, if you will, the role that "she" plays in the joke. "She" instantly calls to mind a particular vision of femininity and it's not likely the pious sister Mary Francis from the church down the block. "She" is probably more likely a rendition of the same dumb, easy, oversexed "She" that we meet in blond jokes. "She" is not the equal of the joke teller. "She" is powerless and the jokester is powerful. "She" is always there to take a mundane topic and make it sexual and, what is more, "She" doesn't have any say in the matter. "She" is forced to participate every time the punchline gets tagged on somewhere. "She" is ridiculed for her sexuality, but the jokester is celebrated."She," whoever "She" may be, is a constant victim at the hands of the misogynistic culture that perpetually calls her into being for its amusement.
Of course, "that's what she said" is not entirely gender specific now is it. "She" can be substituted with "He" from time to time (as in the above montage from The Office). However, such an adjustment to the script merely conflates the imagery already associated with "She" with a new label. The "He" used in substitution has no more agency and is no less forced into a demeaning, sexualized posture than "She."
The rape script also persists in those moment when women, rather than men, add a little "that's what she said." Because the sexuality based superiority/inferiority relationship that is established between the teller and the victim (here the generic "She") is so intertwined with the script, the demonization of female sexuality and symbolic rape of the victim remains constant regardless of the tellers own gender.
So what am I getting at here? In a culture where misogyny still reigns supreme and rape culture is a problem--especially in light of the recent alleged gang-rape of a highschool girl in Steubenville--we should take the time to consider what "that's what she said" does to every "She" when it gets normalized to the point of celebration in our everyday conversations. It may just be a little joke for the joke teller, but it is an unwanted sexual advancement for the voiceless victim.
What I'm trying to say is that we need a little less "that's what she said" and a little more:
Think about how you might defend making a "that's what she said" joke:
Well, that comment/person was really asking for it...
or maybe,
You really wanted me to do that/say that...
or maybe,
You thought it was good/funny/etc....
Still not convinced? Consider, if you will, the role that "she" plays in the joke. "She" instantly calls to mind a particular vision of femininity and it's not likely the pious sister Mary Francis from the church down the block. "She" is probably more likely a rendition of the same dumb, easy, oversexed "She" that we meet in blond jokes. "She" is not the equal of the joke teller. "She" is powerless and the jokester is powerful. "She" is always there to take a mundane topic and make it sexual and, what is more, "She" doesn't have any say in the matter. "She" is forced to participate every time the punchline gets tagged on somewhere. "She" is ridiculed for her sexuality, but the jokester is celebrated."She," whoever "She" may be, is a constant victim at the hands of the misogynistic culture that perpetually calls her into being for its amusement.
Of course, "that's what she said" is not entirely gender specific now is it. "She" can be substituted with "He" from time to time (as in the above montage from The Office). However, such an adjustment to the script merely conflates the imagery already associated with "She" with a new label. The "He" used in substitution has no more agency and is no less forced into a demeaning, sexualized posture than "She."
The rape script also persists in those moment when women, rather than men, add a little "that's what she said." Because the sexuality based superiority/inferiority relationship that is established between the teller and the victim (here the generic "She") is so intertwined with the script, the demonization of female sexuality and symbolic rape of the victim remains constant regardless of the tellers own gender.
So what am I getting at here? In a culture where misogyny still reigns supreme and rape culture is a problem--especially in light of the recent alleged gang-rape of a highschool girl in Steubenville--we should take the time to consider what "that's what she said" does to every "She" when it gets normalized to the point of celebration in our everyday conversations. It may just be a little joke for the joke teller, but it is an unwanted sexual advancement for the voiceless victim.
What I'm trying to say is that we need a little less "that's what she said" and a little more:
