The Knee Thing

About

The Knee Thing is a slang term referring to a make-out or kissing technique where the partner on top places their knee inside a woman's thighs or groin area in order to stimulate them. It's used primarily by lesbians, therefore, online discourse about the Knee Thing started within gay and LGBTQ+ meme circles. The first-known mention of the technique happened on Twitter in 2018, however, the Knee Thing was referenced en masse in mid-2022 on TikTok. Curiosity over what the Knee Thing was spread across social media in the following months.

Origin

Although the Knee Thing wasn't referenced in memes until the late 2010s, it's been known among lesbian women for years, evident in online pornography that shows lesbians making out. A precursor to the Knee Thing is the act of "scissoring."^[1]

On October 15th, 2018, Twitter^[2] user alfred_savage tweeted, "She did that knee thing y'all be doing 😩😩😩," being the first-known internet user to reference the Knee Thing in a memetic context (shown below).

Spread

On October 1st, 2020, Twitter^[3] user knifepIayy tweeted, "putting my knee between your legs as we make out making you all squirmy mmm." On October 4th, 2020, Twitter^[4] user ihatemexicans17 tweeted, "no but fr wanna make out while riding someones knee." Both tweets received just one like in two years, however, they alluded to a growing consciousness online about the Knee Thing that came to a head on October 19th, 2020, when TikToker^[5] uhhnorine posted a video about, "when ur making out and and she does the knee thing." The video received roughly 11,100 plays and over 930 likes in two years (shown below). It is the first known TikTok about the concept.

On December 26th, 2020, TikToker^[6] maegan.tattersley posted a video about, "when she does the knee thing," earning roughly 25,900 plays and 3,900 likes in two years (shown below, left). The trend continued into 2021. For instance, on April 26th, 2021, TikToker^[7] dinokorn posted a video about wanting her hook-up to do the Knee Thing, earning roughly 456,700 plays and 149,600 likes in one year (shown below, right).

On July 5th, 2021, "the knee thing" was added to Urban Dictionary ^[10] by user discoparty who defined it as, "when a knee is pushed between someone's leg up against their crotch (usually done to a girl), for the purpose of stimulation." The definition earned over 225 likes in one year.

On July 21st, 2021, TikToker^[8] loveablelilac posted the most viral Knee Thing TikTok up until that point, earning roughly 4.7 million plays and 860,300 likes in one year (shown below, left). The trend continued into 2022 when on March 20th, 2022, TikToker^[9] jimecorteso posted a more vial Knee Thing TikTok that received roughly 19.5 million plays and 2.9 million likes in four months (shown below, right).

Subsequently, TikToker jimecorteso's video received many stitches and Duets as well as furthered the discussion and awareness about the Knee Thing online.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References