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Moving beyond period jokes

A SYTYCB entry

I’ve been watching a lot of Friends reruns lately, and after revisiting the episodes, it has become blatantly clear to me that the writers rely on stereotypes about men and women to make the show funny. For example, I recently watched an episode where Rachel claims she kissed a female friend while in college. When her college friend (Winona Ryder) claims to not remember the kiss, Rachel recreates it to the amusement of her male audience as represented through Joey’s reaction throughout the episode. He consistently asks her about this sexual encounter because it makes her more attractive that she has “been with” another woman. Similarly the show relies on this idea that Monica used to be fat. In various episodes, Monica’s previous weight is a source of humor. For example, when Chandler admits to breaking up with another woman due to her weight, Monica becomes concerned that Chandler will break up with her for the same reasons. In the end, Chandler says he’ll love Monica at whatever size she is, but then Monica asks “How much weight did this ex-girlfriend gain?” When Chandler says about 150 pounds, Monica says, “Did she eat a whole person?” and the audience laughs. But really, why are we laughing? I don’t think it’s funny to call another person fat or assume that all women kiss other women as a source of fun and amusement during college.

I was asking this same question about why ...

How should we talk about bodies?

A SYTYCB entry

I’ve been pondering this question for the past few weeks: How Should We Talk about Bodies? I think the language that we use to talk about bodies directly ties with the way we feel about ourselves. There are so many labels available like fat, skinny, plus size, thin, fleshy, voluptuous, beautiful, healthy and the list goes on. I get frustrated with these labels because I question who defines what these labels mean. What is “fat” and what is “beautiful?” Also, why does “beauty” have to be an ideal? There have been many campaigns saying “Big is beautiful” and as Mika sings “Big Girl You are Beautiful.” My problem with those statements is why do we need to categorize our ...

A SYTYCB entry

I’ve been pondering this question for the past few weeks: How Should We Talk about Bodies? I think the language that we use to talk about bodies directly ties with the way we feel about ourselves. ...

Primetime re-imagines female power

A SYTYCB entry

With the Hunger Games recent DVD release this past week, I’ve been thinking about portrayals of “powerful” women in television and film. I put powerful in quotation marks because the powerful women that grace our screens today represent illusions of what female power could or should be but is not in the real world. For example, I was watching the show Fairly Legal on USA. The lead female character is all about helping people and being a lawyer who cares about justice. She walks around the office barefoot telling men that she can do whatever she wants. Well, I wish I had her job…

This archetype is visible on ABC’s new show, Scandal. In one clip, Kerry ...

A SYTYCB entry

With the Hunger Games recent DVD release this past week, I’ve been thinking about portrayals of “powerful” women in television and film. I put powerful in quotation marks because the powerful women that grace ...