A man, presumably the Author, stands bedecked in the trappings of a doctor. He explains to a presumably pregnant woman that her unborn child “has not decided which opening it will exit through,” implying a dizzying array of choices. The woman, placed in the classic compromising position of trust that all females must face when their Obstetrician is male, is shocked as she tries to reconcile what she knows about her body with what the trusted patriarch is saying.
The caption delivers the punchline: an admission that the Author discovered how easy it was to deceive women at their most vulnerable moments. A simple bit of deception and he can cause untold confusion, doubt, and even fear in women.
This comic speaks to the darker nature of XKCD’s presentation of women. Underneath the consistent wheedling and ingratiation is a subtle need for control and dominance; a desire to control women by becoming co-dependent and pulling them into a cycle of obligation that is far easier to establish than a healthy relationship. These passive-aggressive shows of dominance are calculated to exert the most dominance while exposing the male to the least reproach, thus avoiding the deep fear of female disapproval that sits at the heart of many XKCD comics.
Curator’s Note: To make it perfectly clear to some of our dear readers who may be uncertain on matters of female reproduction: women cannot give birth through their mouth, sinuses, or anus.
