Most women have had this experience: You’re going on a solo hike, meditating on the beach, or sitting at a bar with a beer, when suddenly, a random dude interrupts your solo time to try and have a conversation. How do you get rid of the guy without being perceived as, well, a bitch? That’s where Leave Me Alurn comes in.
The Saturday Night Live sketch features host Rachel Brosnahan, Kate McKinnon, and Melissa Villaseñor as three women just trying to enjoy some alone time, without male interruption. The best way, they discover, is to carry a fake urn, so men think they’re getting ready to scatter a loved one’s ashes.
“Traveling solo? It’s my favorite. I love exploring with no one to please but myself,” begins Brosnahan’s hiker.
“But when you’re a woman, there’s one very real danger: Unwanted small talk.” Beck Bennett appears from out of nowhere to illustrate the point.
“This view, right? Reminds me of the episode of Twin Peaks where the girl gets murdered,” Bennett’s interloper says. “Are you seeing anyone?”
McKinnon’s beachgoer appears to be enjoying a sunset meditation, complete with AirPods.
“Having headphones in isn’t enough to keep men I don’t know from talking to me,” her voiceover says as Kenan Thompson sits down to ask, “You ever heard of Buddha?”
The “Leave Me Alurn” sketch may seem absurd, but it’s close to reality for so many women. At the gym, the grocery store, museums, airplanes—anywhere you want to just go about your business or spend a little time with your favorite person (yourself!)—there’s often a man trying to butt in.
And it can be difficult to get out of those situations politely, without confrontation. A simple “I’m just enjoying a little solo time now—I’d really prefer to be left alone” doesn’t always work. And you never know if a man will get angry and escalate the situation, follow you home, or otherwise harm you.
But Leave Me Alurn, with the threat of scattering ashes and the undeniable intimacy of a mini-funeral, makes unwanted male conversation partners turn and run. Where can we get one?