Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

victorians

2024-01-27 View on smbc-comics.com → 1 revision
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victorians
Votey panel for victorians
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Explanation

This comic plays on the stereotype that Victorians were extremely repressed, particularly about sexuality and bodily matters. In the first panel, a character laments that "these Victorians were so repressed they can't even think about bodies for a second before we're all just purple."

The joke takes an absurd turn in the subsequent panels. Someone's phone rings, and the Victorian-era characters (or characters discussing Victorians) are so horrified by the intrusion that they slam a giant "DECLINE" button in a panic. The humor lies in the exaggerated depiction of repression: these characters are so uptight and averse to any disruption or social awkwardness that even a ringing phone becomes an emergency-level crisis requiring an immediate, dramatic response.

The comic works on multiple levels: it satirizes the historical stereotype of Victorian prudishness, while also commenting on modern phone anxiety. Many people today feel a visceral dread when their phone rings unexpectedly, especially in social situations -- making us arguably just as "repressed" as the Victorians, just about different things. The giant, dramatic DECLINE button is a visual exaggeration of what many modern people wish they could do when they get an unexpected call.

View History (1) Original Comic