I Have to Wash My Hair: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}{{Needs Image}}

A woman (and [[Always Female|it is almost always a woman]]), subjected to the advances of an [[Abhorrent Admirer]], indicates that she doesn't want to date him but is trying to let him down easy. Unfortunately she [[I HaveNeed to Go Iron My Dog|can't think of a plausible excuse]], so comes up with something ludicrous off the top of her head. Either it couldn't possibly take up much time, is hopelessly vague or surreally implausible, or is something no-one in their right mind would prioritize over a promising date - which may of course be a deliberate hint.

Compare and contrast [[I HaveNeed to Go Iron My Dog]]. Doesn't work on the [[Literal -Minded]], the [[Cloudcuckoolander]], or anyone particularly [[Stalker Withwith a Crush|determined]] (or [[Covert Pervert|just]] [[Casanova|plain]] [[Kavorka Man|lecherous]]): "That's a lot of hair. [[Shower Scene|Need any help?]]"

== [[CommercialsAdvertising]] ==

{{quote| '''Arcade Voice:''' [playing "The Big Score" game] Hey, big boy. Think you're man enough to score with me?<br />

'''Jim Green:''' I am, if Bubba is.<br />

{{quote| '''Allan:''' How about Friday?}}

{{quote| '''Fielding''': You busy tonight? <br />

'''Norma:''' Some old friends are coming over. We're gonna show some pornographic movies.<br />

'''Fielding:''' You need an usher? <br />

* Magrat does this in ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Wyrd Sisters|Wyrd Sisters]]''. "I shall be washing my hair!" "When?" "Whenever!"

* When Richard shows up without his date in [[Dirk GentlysGently's Holistic Detective Agency]], [[Absent-Minded Professor|Reg]] muses about why she hadn't come, and asks if this was the excuse she gave. He adds that it's only for lack of hair that he has to participate in the school as much as he does. (It turns out that Richard [[What an Idiot!|completely forgot that he had invited her]].)

* InPlayed with on ''[[Help Im ADawson's Teenaged OutlawCreek]]'', Ladywhen DevereuxJoey tells oneDawson ofthat theif servantshe incan't onefind episodea (whodate isfor askinga herdouble out)date, thathe sheshould willcall notJen beand comingtell outher withhe himcan't go out because shehe isneeds to "washingwash herhis hair."

* ''[[MASHM*A*S*H (television)|M*A*S*H]]'': Colonel Blake]] once put the moves on a nurse. He complimented her on her scent, to which she replied, "I just washed my hair." When the colonel goes a little further, she brushes him off with, "I have to wash my hair."

* In the episode where ''[[Saved Byby the Bell|]]'': In the episode where Kelly Kapowski]] didn't want to go to the prom with Zack because she couldn't afford a dress, she used this one so often Zack told her she'd caused a drought in California.

* An episode of ''[[DiffrentDiff'rent Strokes]]'' had Willis' girlfriend blow off a date with him by saying she had to wash her hair. He goes to the movies anyway and sees her there with another guy.

{{quote| ''He said, "Let's make love on a mountain-top,<br />

''Under the stars, on a big hard rock"<br />

''I said "In these shoes? I don't think so"'' }}

== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==

** Another woman blows Dilbert off with the excuse, "[[I HaveNeed to Go Iron My Dog|I have to wash my goldfish]]."

** ''Clue for the Clueless'' gives two versions of this excuse: The first is vague but plausible, such as "I have 'plans' this evening", the second is specific and implausible, for example "I have to wax my cat", and is generally reserved for losers.

** The others in that book would mention listing here if they didn't venture dangerously close to [[I HaveNeed to Go Iron My Dog]] lines, especially if one considered the many, many, MANY''many'' rejection lines Jon's received through the years...

* In ''Charly: A Love Song'', the two leads are set up on an unwanted date by their parents. After leaving the planned (and boring) date at the country club, Charly (the girl) reveals that underneath [[The Ojou]] exterior is a [[Genki Girl]] who only need a Ferris wheel ride to bring her out. When she tries to drag [[Straight Man]] Sam (the guy) along, he replies:

{{quote| "I thought you had to wash your tennis shoes?"}}

* Elaine in ''[[The Curse of Monkey Island (Video Game)|The Curse of Monkey Island]]'' and ''[[Escape Fromfrom Monkey Island]]'', to LeChuck.

* One ''[[Concerned]]'' strip has Gordon trying to ask out one of his female co-workers at the Combine Citadel out on a date, and she gives him this excuse. The catch here is that the coworker, who was a normal human in the previous comic, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120512005401/http://hlcomic.com/index.php?date=2005-07-04 is now a transhuman Combine soldier] instead.

* Poor David of ''[[Ow My Sanity (Webcomic)|Ow, My Sanity]]'' gets his share of lame excuses. Including this one, [http://owmysanity.comicgenesis.com/d/20100108.html from a shaved girl].

* ''The Spill'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20090908084535/http://my.spill.com/video/gamer-unscreened Co Host 3000 uses the excuse] of needing to wash his hair in order to avoid seeing ''"Gamer"''.

* [[The Spoony Experiment (Web Video)|The Spoony One]] once reviewed a [[Star Trek|Klingon]] language instruction CD where [[I Have to Wash My Hair]] is said to be a perfectly valid way of dealing with an unwanted Klingon suitor. A disbelieving Spoony responds "Oh come on, if that's a pussy line on Earth, it's ''gotta'' be a pussy line on Qo'noS!"

* [[The Nostalgia Chick (Web Video)|The Nostalgia Chick]] is on the receiving end of this line when she tries to hit on [[Todd in Thethe Shadows]], who runs off claiming that "I gotta go wash my feet or my car or something."

* Used and promptly [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] in ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy and& Mandy]]''. [[The Grim Reaper|Grim]] tries this excuse, but Billy points out that he tried the same excuse yesterday. (And Billy misses the obvious: Grim ''has no hair''.)

* In a [[Flash Back]] episode of the animated [[Spin-Off]] ''[[Beetlejuice (Animationanimation)|Beetlejuice]]'', young Beetlejuice receives this blowoff from a girl he has invited to the prom. The girl is a skeleton with no hair.

* Used against Dexter on ''[[Freakazoid!]]!''.

* ''[[The Batman (Animation)|The Batman]]'' did it with the appropriately titled "Superman Story". Clark attempts to ask Lois to see a boring documentary film. She brushes him aside, claiming she needs to wash her hair.

* Happens a lot in ''[[Action League NowNOW]]'', mainly with Thundergirl.

* Parodied in ''[[Doug]]'', where one of Doug's [[Imagine Spot|Imagine Spots]]s shows Patty Mayonnaise presented with a ''[[Dating Sim]]''-like choice between Roger, Doug, or washing her hair.

* In [[SpongebobSpongeBob SquarePants]] when Sandy says she'll tear a new one to the person who caused Clamu pain, to prevent her from revealing he threw a peanut at Clamu he says "I have to get my hair cut!" and Sandy [[Lampshadeslampshade]]s this by saying "Wait a minute Spongebob doesn't have hair!...or does he?"

* In the ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' episode "Party of One", Rarity uses this excuse to turn down an invitation to one of Pinkie Pie's parties. When Pinkie points out Rarity's hair looks clean to her, Rarity goes so far as to stick her head in a garbage can full of rubbish to get away with the excuse.

{{quote| '''Rarity''': See? Dirty.}}

* In ''[[The Swan Princess]]'', Odette tries to use the excuse not on the prince himself, but on her father to delay leaving for the prince's kingdom.

{{quote| '''Odette''': I haven't packed or washed my hair, and Father, I get seasick!}}

== [[Real Life]] ==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100503135809/http://www.outpostnine.com/gaijin_smash/2009/01/japanese-people-say-the-darndest-things---version-xp.html This post] on [[Gaijin Smash]] discusses the cultural gap on date excuses.