Sure, he was great, but don’t forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did backwards and in high heels.

The earliest known appearance is in Bob Thaves’s comic strip “Frank & Ernest” (May 3, 1982), where a character comments on a “Fred Astaire Film Festival” sign by noting that Ginger Rogers matched Astaire’s dancing while also doing it in reverse and wearing high heels. The line was later repeated by public figures (e.g., Reagan in 1986 and Richards in 1988), which helped spread it and led to frequent misattribution.

The quip humorously argues that women’s achievements are often undervalued: Rogers is portrayed as doing the same demanding work as Astaire while facing extra constraints (moving backward and wearing heels), yet receiving less recognition.

“SURE HE WAS GREAT, BUT DON’T FORGET THAT GINGER ROGERS DID EVERYTHING HE DID, … BACKWARDS AND IN HIGH HEELS.”

“Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did—and did it with high heels on, and doing it backwards.”

“Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backward in high heels.”