457: Frustration

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
Jump to: navigation, search
Frustration
'Don't worry, I can do it in under a minute.' 'Yes, I've noticed.'
Title text: 'Don't worry, I can do it in under a minute.' 'Yes, I've noticed.'

Explanation[edit]

A bra is pictured here, but instead of a traditional clasp, a Rubik's cube is used instead. The comic is a metaphor for how many men (and potentially women who don't wear bras) have difficulty removing their woman lover's bra before sex.

Women who wear bras are going to be quite adept at unhooking their bras simply due to experience and muscle memory. However, many common bra clasps are unique to bras and aren't found on other clothing, so their bra-less lover, lacking that experience, might fumble with the clasp for quite some time. In the heat of the moment, a lover may feel frustrated if they feel that the act of removing a bra is needlessly complicated and distracts from the activity at hand (namely sex). Depending on the clasp mechanism, attempting to remove the bra may seem as frustrating (hence the comic title) and complicated as solving a Rubik's cube.

A literal bra clasped with a Rubik's cube would doubtless be especially frustrating, as someone wishing to remove the bra would have to solve the Rubik's cube every time in order to undo the clasp. This would doubtless prove annoying, especially for a partner who may want to remove the wearer's clothing without impediment. A normal bra clasp can be tricky enough for the inexperienced user, but the addition of the Rubik's Cube element is going too far. Not to mention, such a bra would doubtless be highly uncomfortable for the wearer.[citation needed] However, it is possible that this is actually a nerdsnipe bra, as it appears to be a front-clasped bra, making the Rubik's cube a red herring.

The title text is an imagined conversation between someone trying to undo this bra and someone who is likely wearing the bra. The first person explains that they can "do it" (i.e. undo the bra) in under a minute, which is a reasonably impressive skill to have if you are not a professional speedcuber. The second person replies that they've noticed, a sarcastic reply that relies on the alternative, sexual meaning of "do it," implying a complaint about the first person's speedy performance in bed.

Transcript[edit]

[Black bra with Rubik's cube closure.]


comment.png add a comment! ⋅ comment.png add a topic (use sparingly)! ⋅ Icons-mini-action refresh blue.gif refresh comments!

Discussion

...or "I can do it in under a minute" is taken as a euphamism for speedy performance after the bra puzzle is solved (or ignored). Which doesn't always impress a partner. I've heard. --178.107.249.215 22:20, 13 June 2013 (UTC)

The previous description ended with:

The second person replies that they've noticed, perhaps sarcastically suggesting that the first person is far more interested in solving a Rubik's cube than actually removing the bra and... everything that follows.

While a subtle perspective, it glosses over the obvious joke about the Rubik's solver's speedy performance in the sack. --MisterSpike (talk) 18:39, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

I think this analysis is off. I think is should not be interpreted as an actual bra with a cube fastener, but rather comparing the difficulty of removing a bra with solving a cube. He says he can get it but opens himself up to the obvious joke by so proclaiming. -anon 24.142.134.100 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

I think it might actually be comparing the complications of sex and romance to the complication of a rubiks cube. 173.22.5.38 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Maybe I'm reading too far into it, but I interpreted the title text as a remark on the fact that the first speaker is so good at solving rubik's cubes that s/he doesn't focus on much else. Their partner picks up on this: "Yes, I've noticed" is a subtle remark implying that the person should focus a little more on sex than solving a rubik's cube. --Mynotoar (talk) 23:54, 3 January 2014 (UTC)

To me, this looks like a front closing bra. Many nerds would look to the difficult solution, only to find that Rubic's Cubes don't come apart when they are solved.--108.162.216.83 19:20, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

"Annoying, especially for a partner?" The partner, when present, can at least SEE the Rubik's cube; the bra's wearer cannot, and so would never be able to remove it by herself. 108.162.221.64 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Wouldn't the Rubik's cube be painful as it is pressing against your back? And wouldn't the sides of the bra be all twisted after undoing it? 625571b7-aa66-4f98-ac5c-92464cfb4ed8 (talk) 21:38, 8 March 2017 (UTC)

I've always been puzzled by how women are impressed when I undo their bra with one hand (really just index finger and thumb), almost instantly and with no apparent effort, so they don't even know that it's loose until they feel it slack, or maybe until my hand is under the front. I would think something this important would be a fundamental skill that every human being would acquire at least by their late teens.
Kazvorpal (talk) 15:03, 4 August 2017 (UTC)