My instinct was to dislike, even be offended by, the new viral video “Shit Girls Say.” But I can’t do it.
The video features a man, dressed as a woman, going through life saying those phrases unique to, or at least dominated by, women, like “I know, right?” Naturally, the concept originated on Twitter (Michael Agger praised the Twitter account on Brow Beat back in October). Watch:
It’s funny, as they say, because it’s true. Despite outliers (I recently caught my boyfriend, who is surrounded by women at his current job, saying, “Sometimes it’s like, oh my God”), these speech patterns are indeed dominated by women. How often do you hear a man say, “Can you do me a huge favor?” or “I’m half excited and half scared.” It seems to me that many of these phrases represent the way women are socialized to behave, such as demonstrating deference and pleasing others, as with “No, you’re not!” (apparently uttered in response to a friend making a self-deprecating comment).
Perhaps the only part that still rubs me the wrong way is the fact that our cliché-spouting heroine is played by a man; though the star, Graydon Sheppard, has impeccable delivery, the drag element seems unnecessary.
