2014-08-13
Explanation
The Joke
A young woman is speaking to a silhouetted figure (presumably a doctor, parent, or other authority figure), saying: "So... I started getting snakes. You know... down there. When does that happen to most girls?" The caption reads: "Medusa had an awkward puberty."
The Humor
The comic reimagines the Greek mythological figure Medusa going through puberty. In the myth, Medusa is a Gorgon whose hair is made of living snakes and whose gaze turns people to stone. The comic applies this mythology to the real-world experience of puberty, where adolescents undergo confusing bodily changes.
The joke maps Medusa's snake hair onto the experience of pubic hair development during puberty. The awkward, embarrassed way the character describes "getting snakes... down there" mirrors how teenagers might awkwardly discuss bodily changes with a parent or doctor. The humor comes from the incongruity between a terrifying mythological curse and the mundane awkwardness of adolescence -- Medusa's monstrous transformation is recast as just another embarrassing part of growing up.
References
In Greek mythology, Medusa was one of three Gorgon sisters. In Ovid's version of the myth (Metamorphoses), Medusa was originally a beautiful maiden who was transformed by Athena as punishment after Poseidon violated her in Athena's temple. Her hair became snakes and her gaze could turn anyone who looked at her to stone. She was eventually slain by the hero Perseus.