Exploring the Problematic 'Sh– People Say' Meme

Exploring the "Shit Girls Say" meme, Racialicious editor Latoya Peterson says that that the most popular videos play on stereotypes. She says it's because society is used to laughing at stereotypes, but we aren't prepared to deal with the way we perpetuate them. Suggested Reading How Tina Knowles Schooled Folks Hating on Beyoncรฉ For Singing…

Exploring the "Shit Girls Say" meme, Racialicious editor Latoya Peterson says that that the most popular videos play on stereotypes. She says it's because society is used to laughing at stereotypes, but we aren't prepared to deal with the way we perpetuate them.

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Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?
Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?

Created by Graydon Sheppard and Kyle Humphrey (and boosted by the star power of Juliette Lewis), โ€œShit Girls Sayโ€ went viral by taking a male perspective on common things โ€œwomenโ€ do and presenting it as humor. Internet forums filled with comments like โ€œOmigod, all my friends do thatโ€ or โ€œthat is so me.โ€ The sketch proved to be so popular, there are now three episodes, probably with more in the pipeline.

However, everyone wasnโ€™t laughing at โ€œShit Girls Say.โ€ Quite a few people noticed that the โ€œgirlsโ€ referred to in the top video were a certain type of woman, an experience that was not shared by all. Others noted that the humor that made the video funny was actually rooted in sexist stereotypes. Over at Feministing, Samhita explains:

"While, I usually applaud men in drag, I canโ€™t help but be critical of these characterizations of women. Are some of these stereotypes uncannily true? Iโ€™m sure they can be. But thatโ€™s the problem with stereotypes, itโ€™s not about whether they are true or not, itโ€™s that they are used to disempower people or deny them certain privileges. And I get that it is comedy, but itโ€™s like the most boring and lazy comedy possible. You know, letโ€™s make fun of girls cuz we already know everyone thinks they are dumb and annoying tee hee. These videos might as well be beer ads."

Read Latoya Peterson's entire blog entry at Racialicious.

Latoya Peterson is a hip-hop feminist, anti-racist activist and deputy editor of Fusionโ€™s Voices section, opining on pop culture, news, video games and everything that makes life worth living.ย 

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