I Can't Fap to This

About

“I Can’t Fap to This” is an expression indicating that a person is unable to masturbate using a specific stimulus. The phrase is often used to comment on YouTube videos and as a caption for image macros.

Origin

While the phrase “I can’t fap to this” is rumored to have originated on the imageboard 4chan, the earliest known posting was submitted by Fark^[3] commenter KickahaOta on September 10th, 2008, in response to a rare photograph of British social reformer Florence Nightingale (shown below).

Spread

On October 27th, 2008, an anonymous 4chan^[4] user responded to an argument on the /a/ (anime & manga) board about masturbating to an anime by saying “So I can’t fap to this?” On December 15th, 2008, Ebaumsworld^[5] user MisterCrackers uploaded an image macro of a man wearing a disgusted facial expression with the caption “I can’t fap to this” (shown below, left). On August 21st, 2009, DeviantArtist^[7] TonyTheZ uploaded an illustration titled “I Can’t Fap to This,” in which a sexually frustrated anthropomorphic fox throws its computer out of the window (shown below, right).

On July 28th, 2010, the “Can’t Fap to This” Tumblr^[6] blog was launched, which features posts containing sexual or disturbing imagery. On November 20th, 2011, Newgrounds^[10] user Sexual-Lobster uploaded a flash movie titled “I Can’t Fap to This,” featuring two men sitting at a computer screen watching YouTube videos to become sexually aroused. On May 18th, 2013, Imgur^[9] user aebrules submitted a Brazzers image macro titled “I can’t fap to this” featuring two embracing lions (shown below). On July 12, Redditor mikey_mike24 listed “I can’t fap to this” in a post about overused phrases on the /r/AskReddit^[8] subreddit.

Notable Examples

Derivatives

I Can Fap to This

The inverse phrase “I can fap to this” is also used in discussion forums and image boards, having spawned a separate series of image macros as well (shown below).