Student writes ‘I do it for the girls and the gays’ in her diss acknowledgements

Did you know you can, in theory, write anything in the acknowledgements of your dissertation – even, say a joke about a TikTok format – and you won’t lose a single mark?

Coventry journalism student Yasmine Summan tested that theory by asking her supervisor if she could write at the end of her dissertation about queer people in media: “I do it for the girls and the gays, that’s it,” a line from a song anyone on TikTok will recognise, and the supervisor responded to say he was down with the idea.

“They’ve always encouraged me to incorporate my sexuality and who I am in my work so this is nothing new,” Yasmine told The Tab.

@yasminesummanxI did my dissertation for WHO? FOR THE GIRLS. AND. THE. GAYS. ##idoitforthegirlsandthegays ##queer ##uni ##dissertation ##fyp♬ original sound – heteronegative

In an email to her supervisor, Yasmine asked: “Just checking, hypothetically what can you *not* include in acknowledgements?

“Because hypothetically, and I stress hypothetically, I considered putting ‘I did it for the girls and the gays’ in my acknowledgements.

“But if I can’t, you know, I won’t be upset.”

Her supervisor replied: “The great thing about acknowledgements is that it’s for whoever you want!

“If it’s for the girls and the gays, then acknowledge away.”

Skip to 2:04 to hear *the line*.

The song being referenced is Yummy (by Ayesha Erotica not Justin Bieber), a track you have probably never heard in real life but is having a bit of resurgence on TikTok.

Yasmine told The Tab her dissertation looked into the representation of queer people, “especially queer women, in media and magazines,” adding: “I really did do it for the girls and the gays”.

“I saw the meme on TikTok and thought meh, if lockdown is going to postpone my graduation and prevent me from finishing my project fully, I might as well go out with a bang,” she said.

She said she only submitted the dissertation “a few days ago,” but hopes the project will net her a pass.

Think your dissertation story is madder than this one? Email [email protected].

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