It’s a phrase you hear multiple times a day, spouted from the mouths of the foul-minded and bad-joke-oriented. After every innocent comment, even those that pose no potential for a double entendre, it is sneaked into the conversation, followed immediately by roars of laughter from the surrounding crowd. And yet this term requires no originality, not even an ounce of innovation, for it is always told the same way. If you haven’t yet realized that I’m talking about the “that’s what she said” phenomenon, then you really need to tune yourself into pop culture. Seriously. Go watch “American Idol” or something.
It’s with a bit of embarrassment that I admit my occasional usage of this expression. While I’m hardly one to toss “that’s what she said” into every dialogue, even I, witty as I am, have my weak moments. In these seconds of sheer foolishness, the phrase slips into the open air, and before I know it, I am being propelled into the ferocious shackles of conformity. The terror!
That may have been a bit dramatic. But you get the picture.
On a slightly hypocritical note, my mother recently told me something that totally upped my level of appreciation for “that’s what she said.” Apparently, “back in the day,” the equivalent of “that’s what she said” was “under the covers.” So at my mother’s sweet 16 (was that around the Revolutionary War, Mom?), she may have opened a present containing a color television set and exclaimed, “I can’t wait to use this!” Then, another girl would whisper, “Under the covers!” and everyone would snicker. Comprendes? Bien.
I also remember when I was 10 and it was cool to add “in bed” to every fortune cookie I opened. “Happiness will come easily to you,” ... in bed. “When the flowers blossom, so will you,” ... in bed.
This all makes me wonder: while the “that’s what she said” phenomenon dwells in my heart as a staple of recent years, is it possible that the expression is simply the descendant of another, such as “under the covers” or “in bed”? Is there an entire evolutionary history of sexual innuendos leading up to our generation? Each decade has its own distinct era, known for that time period’s politics, music and fashions; does each decade have its own version of “that’s what she said” too?
And if all this is true, what lies ahead for the offspring of this, ahem, exceptionally clever phrase? What’s in store for the successors to the throne of double-meaning verbalizations? Will our children replace our four cherished words with sayings like “between the sheets” and “in the bedroom”? Will we laugh it off, as adults typically do, then lose ourselves in a cloud of nostalgia? Will VH1 mention “that’s what she said” in their “I Love the New Millennium: 2008” episodes? Will antique shops sell “that’s what she said” paraphernalia?
Really, I’m not sure why people are so concerned with global warming and the presidential election when more pressing matters clearly exist. We must unite as one, before this once-detested token of our culture slips through our fingers like grains of sand! (OK, I think I may have wandered back into dramatic territory on that one.)
I guess what I’m getting at is this: While “that’s what she said” has far surpassed any Borat quote in the running for the most annoying and overused expression of all time, it has inevitably become a piece of today’s culture. And though it seems that this phrase is in dire need of retirement, we should be thankful that such a great ready-made joke exists.
So, the next time someone slacks on the brainpower and uses this saying, don’t roll your eyes, yawn impolitely or make some other snooty gesture. Instead, laugh at that darn kid’s joke. At least he’s watching his “American Idol.”
Lauren’s column runs biweekly Thursdays. She can be reached at l.kimmel@cavalierdaily.com.
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