Hot YouTube Trend: People Saying Sh*t

Ah the internet. Bottomless pit of knowledge about news past and present, outlet for self-expression, facilitator of human connection, and… mecca of questionably offensive video montage parodies?

Well ok, the last one isn’t really what most people generally think of when connecting to the world wide web, but a current trend of posting these videos in the form of “Sh*t People Say” is, in fact, taking the YouTube world by storm. It seems that the spark that ignited the tinderbox of this trend was a video called “Sh*t Girls Say – Episode 1”, posted on December 12th, 2011. The video, which parodies silly female stereotypes, briefly features singer/actress Juliette Lewis, lasts only one minute, 12 seconds… and now boasts over 13,500,000 views.

“Sh*t Girls Say” has spawned dozens and dozens of copy-cat videos, ranging widely in subject matter — everything from “Sh*t Single Girls say” to “Sh*t Graphic Designers Say” to “Sh*t Chicagoans say” (and just about every other city in the continental U.S. for that matter). Recently, there have even been parodies of these parody videos hitting the web: “Sh*t Guys Don’t Say” and “Shit Guys Say – Episode 1”, just to name a few. Many of the more popular videos feature people dressed in drag, although a subset of non gender-bender versions are now cropping up as well, and all are snappily edited into a montage of snarky sound bites intended to lampoon the group in question.

I definitely find myself chuckling at these videos, but I’m still trying to decide what exactly it is that makes them so appealing. Is it the ridiculous nature of the stereotypes they illustrate? Is it the irreverent pacing? Is it the men with five o’clock shadow and bright red lipstick? Or is it simply that we see some truth in them and like to make fun of ourselves?

Take a look at some of the more popular current videos below, and share your thoughts on what’s made this trend go viral!

Sh*t Girls Say- Episode 1

Sh*t Guys Say- Episode 1

Sh*t Chicagoans Say

Sh*t Single Girls Say

Sh*t Guys Don’t Say